“We conducted a thorough review. These organizations no longer align with American values. We’re not going to say which values.”
WASHINGTON — President Trump signed a memorandum Tuesday directing the international organizations withdrawal of the United States from 66 intergovernmental bodies that administration officials say “no longer serve American interests.”
The withdrawal covers 35 non-United Nations organizations and 31 UN entities, following what the White House described as a comprehensive review ordered earlier this year.
“These organizations advance globalist agendas over U.S. national interests, security, economic prosperity, or sovereignty,” a senior administration official said on background. “In some cases, all four.”
Asked which specific activities prompted the withdrawal from each organization, the official said the details were “still being finalized.”
Review Process ‘Rigorous’
Administration officials described the review as “rigorous” and “data-driven,” though they declined to share the criteria used to evaluate each organization.
“We looked at membership, we looked at activities, we looked at whether they were advancing American interests or undermining them,” the official explained. “The results spoke for themselves.”
When pressed on specific examples, the official cited the UN Human Rights Council, from which the administration withdrew separately, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Near East.
“Those were obvious,” the official said. “The other 64 were also obvious, in their own way.”
The memorandum orders all executive departments and agencies to cease participating in and funding the listed organizations immediately. Officials said the move would save American taxpayers “significant resources” but declined to provide a dollar figure.
Allies Not Consulted
European allies were not consulted before the announcement, according to diplomatic sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“We learned about it when everyone else did,” one European diplomat said. “Which is becoming a pattern.”
Administration officials said consultation was unnecessary because the decision involved American membership in international bodies.
“These are American decisions about American participation,” the official said. “Our allies can make their own decisions about their own participation. That’s sovereignty.”
The withdrawal follows a pattern of U.S. disengagement from multilateral institutions under the Trump administration, including the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization in the president’s first term.
Some Organizations ‘Surprised’
Representatives from several of the listed organizations said they were unaware they had been flagged for review.
“We didn’t know we were on the list,” said a spokesperson for one scientific cooperation body. “We’re not entirely sure what we did.”
Administration officials said the element of surprise was intentional.
“If we told them we were reviewing them, they might have changed their behavior,” the official explained. “We wanted to evaluate them as they actually operate, not as they pretend to operate when they know America is watching.”
The full list of 66 organizations was not immediately released. Officials said it would be published “in due course.”
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