United Nations, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The United States is pressing for a reduction of more than $1 billion in the United Nations budget and has identified 4,000 positions that could be eliminated as part of the Trump administration’s push to streamline the world body, a State Department official said.
Luke Ortega, Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, said the proposed changes were aimed at narrowing the UN’s focus towards peace, prosperity and respect for national sovereignty. He said the effort had already saved US taxpayers more than $260 million a year, although he did not provide a breakdown of the savings.
“This is a top priority for the United States to get the United Nations back to basics, back to its real core responsibilities, to have the United Nations doing less, and to be doing it better,” Ortega said in an interview.
He described the budget and staffing changes as a work in progress, stressing that the 4,000 figure represented positions that could be cut rather than a confirmed number of job losses.
“We’ve seen over the past six months or so a move to reduce the budget of the United Nations by more than a billion dollars to identify 4,000 bureaucratic positions within the organisation that could be cut,” Ortega said.
The US official credited US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz with helping advance the reform effort, which he said was intended to make the organisation more effective in carrying out what Washington considers its core responsibilities.
Ortega said the administration’s concerns went beyond spending and involved the broader question of what functions should fall within the UN’s mandate.
“For us, that’s really the most critical element when we talk about reforming the United Nations is what should it be doing and what shouldn’t it be doing?” he said.
He cited President Donald Trump’s criticism of an International Maritime Organization proposal concerning global shipping, saying Washington opposed decisions by international bodies that could impose costs on the public without being made by elected officials.
At the same time, Ortega argued that the UN should have a stronger role in conflict resolution. He credited Trump with helping bring about settlements and said Washington wanted international organisations to become more effective in such efforts.
The United States, he said, would continue to act when international bodies were unable to do so, while pursuing its national interests and seeking to promote peace and opportunity.
Ortega also said Washington was encouraging other countries to examine whether international institutions were serving the interests of their members. He cited the International Criminal Court among institutions that, in the US view, warranted scrutiny.
The United States would also assess its own engagement with international organisations based on whether it served US interests, Ortega said.
The push comes after the Trump administration has publicly highlighted major reductions in the UN budget and staffing. In a September 22 address to the UN General Assembly, Trump said the US had worked with member states to cut the UN budget by 15 per cent in 2026 and eliminate more than 4,000 positions.
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