1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate action to ensure that the United States meets its financial obligations to the United Nations—before irreparable damage is done. According to recent reporting and direct warnings from U.N. leadership, the United Nations is facing an imminent financial collapse. Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the organization could run out of operating funds as early as July, threatening core programs, peacekeeping missions, and even the continued operation of U.N. headquarters in New York. This crisis is not abstract—and it is not shared equally. The United States is responsible for the overwhelming majority of unpaid dues, amounting to roughly $2.2 billion, combining arrears from 2025 and unpaid obligations for 2026. The refusal of the U.S. to pay its assessed contributions to the regular and peacekeeping budgets—along with withdrawals from key U.N. agencies—has pushed the institution to the brink. Other nations are in arrears, but none at this scale, and none with this level of consequence. Let’s be clear: this is not fiscal responsibility. It is a strategic self-inflicted wound. The United Nations is not charity. It is one of the most effective tools the United States has ever built to project influence, prevent conflict, coordinate global responses, and shape international norms in our favor. For decades, the U.S. has used the U.N. to advance its interests—diplomatically, economically, and militarily—at a fraction of the cost of acting alone. The UN was founded in the aftermath of World War II as a pillar of a U.S.-led international order that has, overwhelmingly, benefited the United States. Its headquarters sit in New York City not by accident, but because the U.S. understood the value of anchoring global governance here—politically, economically, and symbolically. Today, the crises the UN addresses are only growing more urgent: armed conflict, humanitarian disasters, climate instability, mass displacement, global health threats. Weakening or collapsing the UN does not make these problems disappear—it simply ensures they are handled without coordination, without legitimacy, and without U.S. leadership. Reform may be necessary. Debate is legitimate. But abandonment is reckless. Allowing the United Nations to financially collapse because the United States refuses to pay its dues is an abdication of responsibility and a gift to authoritarian rivals who are eager to fill the vacuum we leave behind. Congress must act now to: • Pay all outstanding U.S. dues to the United Nations immediately • Restore funding to the UN’s regular and peacekeeping budgets • Reaffirm U.S. commitment to multilateral institutions across the world • Pursue reforms through engagement, not sabotage If the U.N. fails because the United States chose not to pay its bills, the damage to U.S. credibility will be lasting—and deserved. Fund the United Nations now!