What Happened?

The U.S. now owes the United Nations $4.26 billion in unpaid dues, according to a Legis1 review of a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on U.S. funding to the UN. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that U.S. arrears to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping combined reached $4.26 billion as of Sept. 30. ​

The debt breaks down into two parts:

  • Regular budget arrears: $1.31 billion in unpaid contributions to the UN's day-to-day operations.
  • Peacekeeping arrears: $2.95 billion in unpaid peacekeeping assessments, roughly 69 percent of the combined total.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The unpaid bills are piling up as the Trump administration withdraws from more than 30 UN bodies and has delayed or stopped payments to some UN entities.

Part of the peacekeeping debt stems from a structural gap: the U.S. peacekeeping assessment rate is 26.15 percent, which exceeds the 25 percent cap Congress enacted in 1994 by 1.15 percentage points, a gap CRS says has driven the buildup of peacekeeping arrears.

On the regular budget, the U.S. is assessed at 22 percent of the 2026 UN budget of $3.45 billion, equal to roughly $759 million a year, while China is assessed at 20 percent and Japan at 6.9 percent.

Both Sides, Now

Some members might consider setting funding levels or conditions for specific UN entities, since the United States is one of the largest UN financial contributors, and many members have expressed concern about China's growing role in the UN system.

Critics say the withheld money is already causing real harm. Reuters reported in October 2025 that senior UN officials announced plans to cut about 25 percent of peacekeeping personnel globally, roughly 13,000 to 14,000 troops and police, citing a lack of cash and linking the shortfall partly to U.S. payment problems.

UN News reported in December 2025 that the UN Secretary-General warned unpaid dues had pushed the organization into a cash crisis, forcing spending cuts and strict cash conservation that affected operations.

President Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 4, 2025, directing withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and calling for a review of U.S. participation in all international organizations. On Jan. 7, the president directed agencies to stop participating in or funding 66 international organizations, including 31 UN entities.

What Happens Next?

Some members of Congress might consider setting funding levels or conditions for specific UN entities in fiscal year 2027 spending bills, and weighing how the United States can use its position as one of the largest UN financial contributors as leverage.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-4), became law on Feb. 3 and appropriated funding to other UN entities. U.S. arrears to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping stood at $4.26 billion as of Sept. 30.

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