Trump seeks to slash funding for UN missions in Mideast

The Trump administration unveiled a budget blueprint for next year that calls for slashing US contribution to the United Nations mission in Lebanon by almost half while pursuing similar cuts to international peacekeeping missions around the world. In addition to the UNIFIL cuts, the Trump administration is also seeking to slash or eliminate US contributions to peacekeeping missions in 15 other countries from 2017 funding levels. The proposal notably seeks cuts for operations across the Middle East, including a 55% cut to the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights (from $24.6 million to $11.1 million); 54% for the UN mission to the Western Sahara (from $18.4 million to $8.4 million); and 62% to the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (from $13.9 million to $5.3 million).