By Staff, Agencies

The United States pledged $2 billion to United Nations humanitarian aid efforts on Monday, marking a sharp reduction from its traditional funding levels and signaling a major shift in Washington’s approach to global assistance.

US officials described the pledge as “generous in today’s new financial reality,” despite the fact that Washington has historically contributed up to $17 billion annually to UN-backed humanitarian programs.

Officials now argue that only $8–10 billion of past contributions were provided through voluntary channels.

Under the new framework, the $2 billion will be placed into a centralized fund, with allocations distributed to individual UN agencies.

The administration says the move is intended to streamline oversight and improve efficiency.

However, humanitarian organizations have voiced concerns that the model could politicize aid distribution and subject humanitarian priorities to US foreign policy considerations.

The funding cut was accompanied by a blunt warning to the UN to “adapt, shrink or die,” reflecting the administration’s broader effort to restructure international aid mechanisms.

Ambassador Michael Waltz characterized the move as a “humanitarian reset” aimed at delivering “more aid with fewer tax dollars” while aligning outcomes with US strategic interests.

Aid coordination will now be overseen by UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher and his team, who will control the allocation process.

While the US remains the world’s largest single humanitarian donor, observers say the reduction is part of a wider rollback of foreign aid under the Trump administration, already weakening critical services in vulnerable regions.

Critics warn the cuts could deepen humanitarian crises, increase displacement and hunger, and undermine US credibility on the global stage.