Trump’s ‘adapt, shrink or die’ UN policy: US pledges $2 bn to humanitarian aid, down from $17 bn peak

The United States on Monday announced a $2 billion pledge for United Nations humanitarian aid, even as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to scale back US foreign assistance and urges UN agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” amid new financial realities.

While the amount is a fraction of past US contributions, officials said it reflects what the administration considers a generous commitment that preserves Washington’s position as the world’s largest humanitarian donor. The pledge will create an umbrella funding mechanism through which money will be allocated to individual agencies and priorities, a move central to US demands for sweeping reforms across the UN system. These demands have alarmed humanitarian workers and already resulted in sharp cuts to programmes and services.

The $2 billion pledge represents only a small portion of traditional US humanitarian funding for UN-backed efforts, which has reached up to $17 billion annually in recent years, according to UN data. US officials said only $8–$10 billion of that amount consisted of voluntary contributions. In addition, Washington pays billions of dollars each year in UN membership dues.

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Critics argue that aid cutbacks by Western countries have been short-sighted, pushing millions towards hunger, displacement and disease, while weakening US soft power globally.

A year of crisis for aid agencies

The announcement caps a difficult year for several UN bodies, including refugee, migration and food assistance agencies. The Trump administration has already cut billions in foreign aid, forcing organisations to slash spending, shut down projects and eliminate thousands of jobs. Other traditional Western donors have also reduced funding.

The new pledge takes shape through a preliminary agreement with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), led by former British diplomat Tom Fletcher. The UN remains the world’s largest provider of humanitarian assistance and the biggest recipient of US humanitarian funding.

Even as US support declines, humanitarian needs have surged worldwide. Famine has been recorded this year in parts of conflict-hit Sudan and Gaza, while floods, droughts and other natural disasters — which many scientists link to climate change — have killed people and displaced thousands.

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Impact on major UN agencies

The funding cuts are expected to have major consequences for UN agencies such as the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Program and the UN refugee agency UNHCR. These organisations have already received billions less from the US this year compared to allocations under the previous Biden administration, and even compared to Trump’s first term.

Under the new arrangement, OCHA — which launched a “humanitarian reset” last year aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and effectiveness — will act as a central channel for US and other donor funding, replacing the earlier system of scattered contributions to individual appeals.

US seeks consolidated aid system

The United States wants “more consolidated leadership authority” in the UN’s aid delivery system, a senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement at the US diplomatic mission in Geneva.

Under the plan, Fletcher and his office “are going to control the spigot” for distributing funds to UN agencies, the official added.

“This humanitarian reset at the United Nations should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars — providing more focused, results-driven assistance aligned with U.S foreign policy,” said US Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz.

Reform push and donor realignments

US officials said the $2 billion pledge is an initial contribution towards OCHA’s annual appeal announced earlier this month, which Fletcher had already reduced in response to the changing aid landscape. Other major donors, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, have also cut funding and pushed for reforms this year.

“The agreement requires the U.N. to consolidate humanitarian functions to reduce bureaucratic overhead, unnecessary duplication, and ideological creep,” the State Department said in a statement. “Individual U.N. agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die.”

“Nowhere is reform more important than the humanitarian agencies, which perform some of the U.N.’s most critical work,” it added. “Today’s agreement is a critical step in those reform efforts, balancing President Trump’s commitment to remaining the world’s most generous nation, with the imperative to bring reform to the way we fund, oversee, and integrate with U.N. humanitarian efforts.”

Countries to be prioritised under new funding plan

At the core of the reform plan is the creation of pooled funding mechanisms that can be directed to specific crises or countries. Seventeen countries will initially be prioritised, including Bangladesh, Congo, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine.

Afghanistan, despite being one of the world’s most desperate humanitarian cases, is not included. The Palestinian territories are also excluded, with officials saying they will instead be covered through funding linked to Trump’s still-incomplete Gaza peace plan.

Trump’s long-standing critique of the UN

The initiative, developed over several months, reflects Trump’s long-held view that the UN has vast potential but has strayed from its original mission of saving lives. The administration argues the organisation has undermined US interests, promoted radical ideologies and allowed wasteful, unaccountable spending.

Fletcher welcomed the agreement, saying in a statement, “At a moment of immense global strain, the United States is demonstrating that it is a humanitarian superpower, offering hope to people who have lost everything.”