Trump keeping promise to reduce cost of running UN

While President Donald J. Trump’s foreign policy is schizophrenic at best, his administration is making its presence known in the United Nations.

Indeed, the president’s contention that the world organization is “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” has struck a chord.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had submitted an operating budget request of $5.4 billon for 2018-19, but the General Assembly reduced the amount by $285 million.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has adopted the president’s strident attitude in dealing with representatives of other nations and the huge bureaucracy, called the budget reduction “a big step in the right direction.”

The direction was set by Trump just before he was sworn in Jan. 20 as the 45the president of the United States.

The political novice and billionaire real-estate developer from New York City said the U.N. has “such great potential” and vowed “… things will be different after Jan. 20th.”

How different? Here’s what Ambassador Haley said just seven days later when she arrived for the first time at her new offices at U.N. headquarters in New York City.

“Our goal with the administration is to show value at the U.N., and the way that we’ll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, and have the backs of our allies and make sure our allies have our backs as well.”

And she had this warning to nations that are at odds with the United States:

“For those who don’t have our back we’re taking names. We will make a point to respond to that accordingly. But this is a time of strength. This is a time of action. This is a time of getting things done.”

Accomplishments

And things are getting done – at least on the spending front.

The U.N.’s “bloated management and support functions,” in the words of Haley, have long been a point of contention for members of Congress of both parties and the American people.

There have been attempts in the past to slash spending by shrinking the bureaucracy and eliminating programs that aren’t important to the organization’s mission.

However, the results have been mixed, at best.

Haley’s comments in the wake of the $285 million cut in the core budget reflect the administration’s unwavering commitment to change.

“This historic reduction in spending, in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable U.N., is a big step in the right direction.

“While we are pleased with the results of this year’s budget negotiations, you can be sure we’ll continue to look at ways to increase the U.N.’s efficiency while protecting our interest.”

It should be noted that while the General Assembly gave Guterres less money than he requested, his budget proposal was $200 million below the 2016-17 spending blueprint.

The Trump administration has also succeeded in pressuring the General Assembly into cutting the separate peacekeeping budget by $600 million.

But while the president and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. have reason to be proud of the progress they’ve made in just a year to bring about a change in attitude with regard to spending, they are finding the political challenges more difficult to overcome.

Last week, a majority of the members of the General Assembly voted to condemn the decision by the Trump administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv.

Before that vote, a resolution before the Security Council was shelved only after the United States vetoed it.

In reaction to the condemnation, Trump and Haley made it clear that nations receiving American foreign aid will be punished for their ingratitude.

Such a public threat to “take names” and mete out punishment has put the administration in a bind.

If Trump does nothing, he not only would undermine the authority of Ambassador Haley, but would be viewed as a leader with more bark than bite.

On the other hand, should the administration actually make good on its promise to punish ungrateful nations by withholding foreign aid, the reaction worldwide will be immediate and harsh.