Congress Must Stop A US-Driven Financial Collapse of the United Nations

THE UNITED NATIONS IS FACING AN IMMEDIATE OPERATIONAL CRISIS The United Nations is facing a severe operational crisis as a direct consequence of unpaid mandatory dues, with U.S. nonpayment playing a central role. This crisis is not theoretical. It stems from member states - including the United States - failing to pay assessed contributions they are legally obligated to provide. As reported by the New York Times, UN officials warn that without corrective action the organization could face operational failure within months. The United States has long been the largest and most influential member of the United Nations. When U.S. assessed dues go unpaid, the impact is systemic. The UN struggles to meet payroll and sustain peacekeeping, humanitarian, and diplomatic operations that depend on predictable funding. If arrears are not resolved before the next budget cycle, additional mission drawdowns and service suspensions are likely. THE UNITED NATIONS SERVES CRITICAL GLOBAL AND U.S. INTERESTS The United Nations provides essential coordination for peacekeeping, humanitarian relief, global health responses, refugee protection, and conflict prevention in regions where no single nation can act effectively alone. These missions often cost the United States far less than comparable unilateral efforts, while helping prevent regional instability from escalating into wider conflicts. U.S. NONPAYMENT IS A PRIMARY DRIVER OF THE CASH CRISIS Because the United Nations lacks access to capital markets, delayed U.S. payments force hiring freezes, service reductions, and the suspension of critical missions. These effects are already occurring and will accelerate without immediate payment. Continued nonpayment also invites rival powers to expand their influence within UN institutions, weakening U.S. leadership. CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY ARE CENTRAL Congress controls appropriations and exercises oversight of the executive branch. When assessed U.S. contributions remain unpaid, individual Members share responsibility for allowing nonpayment to persist as policy. Members can press the executive branch to release funds already appropriated, support additional appropriations where necessary, and use oversight tools to ensure mandatory obligations are met fully and on time. CONTINUED NONPAYMENT UNDERMINES U.S. CREDIBILITY AND GLOBAL STABILITY When the United States defaults on its UN obligations, it weakens alliances, forfeits moral authority, and cedes influence to rival powers. Nonpayment does not produce reform; experience shows it produces paralysis while harming peacekeepers, aid workers, and civilians. Paying U.S. dues is not charity. It is a strategic investment in stability, diplomacy, and a rules-based international order that benefits the United States. PUBLIC LEADERSHIP AND OVERSIGHT ARE NECESSARY I respectfully urge you to take the following actions: (1) Publicly support immediate payment of all outstanding U.S. assessed contributions to the United Nations. (2) Press the executive branch to release all owed funds without delay and commit to timely future payments. (3) Call for and participate in Congressional hearings to examine the causes and consequences of the UN’s financial crisis and ensure sustained oversight. This crisis is avoidable. It exists because obligations have gone unpaid. Silence or inaction by individual Members is itself a choice, affirming continued nonpayment and its foreseeable consequences.