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Tipsheet

What Elise Stefanik Said at Her Confirmation Hearing Will Make the UN Nervous

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), President Donald Trump's pick to act as his America First enforcer at the United Nations, brought the heat to her Senate confirmation hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee. Based on what Stefanik told senators Tuesday morning, Turtle Bay better brace for the fired-up New York congresswoman, if she is confirmed.

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As the U.S. ambassador, Stefanik said she would significantly reform the UN from within.

Among the much-needed changes she'll implement, Stefanik promises to conduct a comprehensive budgetary assessment of certain UN subagencies and ensure that "every dollar goes to supporting our American interests." She stressed that "every U.S. taxpayer dollar" pouring into the UN should go toward "making America stronger, safer, and more prosperous." This cut down on waste "fits squarely" with the duties of Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), she noted.

Today, the U.S. remains the largest funder of the UN nexus by far. America pays 22 percent of the regular budget and 25 percent of the peace-keeping budget.

"Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption, and terrorism," Stefanik said.

Stefanik is set to replace Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Biden-Harris administration's U.S. ambassador to the UN. Under Biden, the U.S. provided funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), whose workers reportedly participated in the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Asked about the terrorist-infested UNRWA and the U.S. temporarily suspending funding for it, Thomas-Greenfield responded, "But we also know that UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food and medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support."

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"The rot is deep," Stefanik, who voted on the House floor to defund UNRWA, said. "If you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis combined." (2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the UN General Assembly adopting Resolution 3379, which deemed Zionism "a form of racism and racial discrimination.")

Stefanik specifically cited Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, carrying an UNRWA teacher's passport, pointed to a Hamas data center under an UNRWA office, and recounted the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, deleting a post condemning the October 7 massacre.

In order to hold those complicit accountable, Stefanik committed to supporting the LIABLE Act, which would allow American victims of terrorism to sue international organizations, such as UNRWA, that provide such material support to terrorists. Senate Republicans plan on reintroducing the legislation this session.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the committee chair, suggested the U.S. "should seriously examine if further contributions and, indeed, participation in the UN is even beneficial to the American people."

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Ranking minority member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) agreed that the UN "certainly" is "an imperfect body" but she noted it's also "a force multiplier of American taxpayer money."

"U.S. disengagement is something our adversaries want, especially Russia and China," the New Hampshire senator said in opening statements. "When we cut back, they are ready and very eager to fill that void."

If she achieves Senate approval, Stefanik would be the first U.S. ambassador to come directly from Congress in over two decades. Because of her background, Stefanik said she has a thorough understanding of the legislative branch's oversight and appropriations role when it comes to enacting these reforms.

During questioning, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) asked if Stefanik thinks diplomacy works without deterrence, as Iran attempts to build a nuclear arsenal. Stefanik responded that deterrence is necessary; it's "our strongest way to ensure that we have peace."

"I'm a deep believer in deterrence," declared Stefanik, who served on the House Armed Services Committee and House Intelligence Committee. "Peace through strength is our strongest deterrence."

Stefanik said the UN has "not lived up to its founding mission of international peace and security." Moreover, it's strayed from advancing American values and instead put U.S. national security in jeopardy, she argued. 

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Among other major moves, Stefanik plans to reestablish U.S. leadership at this mismanaged institution by putting forward more American candidates for critical postings in the election process.

Since at least 2018, the percentage of U.S. personnel compared to total UN staffing has declined each year. China, meanwhile, increased its employment of Chinese nationals in the UN by 85 percent between 2009 (with nearly 800 postings) and 2021 (over 1,400 hires).

Within a week of winning the 2024 election, Trump tapped Stefanik to assume the UN post. "Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter," Trump touted at the time.

Stefanik quickly accepted Trump's offer, per The Post. "The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries," Stefanik said. "I stand ready to advance President Donald J. Trump's restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations."

Stefanik, a staunch supporter of Israel, sharply questioned several Ivy League school presidents for their handling of pro-Hamas protests on campus, taking them to task in a series of congressional proceedings in December 2023 regarding rampant antisemitism across American colleges. Stefanik's unrelenting cross-examination sent shockwaves, a watershed moment in the history of American higher education resulting in the respective resignations of Harvard's university head Claudine Gay and UPenn's president Liz Magill.

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Stefanik previously issued a blistering rebuke of the UN, denouncing the organization as a "den of antisemitism."

"Ever since and even before the barbaric terrorist attacks [from] Hamas on October 7, the UN has continuously betrayed Israel and betrayed America, acting as an apologist for Iran and their terrorist proxies," Stefanik said in an address at the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET)'s annual gala, where she was honored with the Rays of Light in the Darkness Award.

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