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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mike Lee said he plans to introduce legislation to cut U.S. funding to the United Nations after an amended resolution condemning Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel failed to earn support from two-thirds of the U.N. General Assembly.
The intergovernmental organization passed a resolution Friday calling for an "immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce" between Israel and Hamas, but the United States was one of 14 nations who opposed the resolution, according to CNN.
The nonbinding resolution, drafted by Jordan, calls for the "immediate and unconditional release" of all civilians illegally held captive, but does not mention Hamas by name. It also demands that essential supplies be allowed into the Gaza Strip.
Canada and the U.S. tried to amend the resolution to condemn Hamas by name and demand an immediate release of hostages. The amendment was supported by a vote of 88-55, but failed to win the two-thirds majority required to pass the General Assembly, per the Guardian.
Lee, a Republican, expressed his ire with the result in a social media post on Friday, saying: "It's officially time to withdraw all U.S. funding for the U.N. The U.N. does a lot of bad things. And if it can't even do a good thing as simple as condemning war crimes, it's over between us."
"I want to be clear about his: NOT. ONE. MORE. DOLLAR. NOT. ONE. MORE. CENT.," he continued, adding that he's "begun the process of drafting legislation" to that end.
How do Americans feel about the U.N.?
The U.S. has traditionally been the biggest supporter of the United Nations, and accounted for nearly one-fifth of the U.N.'s budget in 2021, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
American support accounted for $12.5 billion in 2021, though only $830 million went directly to the U.N. budget while the rest was given to U.N. entities — including $3.8 billion for the World Food Program, $1.9 billion to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, $1.9 billion to the U.N. Department of Peace Operations and $980 million to UNICEF.
Lee has been part of the isolationist wing of his party, especially when it comes to sending tax dollars abroad. He has questioned ongoing military aid to Ukraine during its fight against Russia, but has been more supportive of aid to Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks.
The senator is not an outlier in his party when it comes to the U.N. A Morning Consult poll from September 2022 found that only 36% of Republicans view the organization favorably, and 39% hold an unfavorable view. That's compared to 64% of Democrats who view the U.N. favorably and only 12% who hold negative views.
Overall, about 47% of Americans support the U.N., the poll found.
Former President Donald Trump was a strong critic of the U.N. and other international organizations. He withdrew the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council during his administration and announced his formal intent to leave the U.N.'s World Health Organization, according to The Hill.
President Joe Biden reversed both decisions upon taking office.
