Stefanik pledges an ‘America First’ agenda on the UN and a assessment of US funding
Politics
Harvard-educated and the fourth-ranking member of the U.S. Home, Stefanik was elected to Congress in 2015 as a average Republican and is leaving a decade later as certainly one of Trump’s most ardent allies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Elise Stefanik opened her affirmation listening to Tuesday for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by pledging to implement President Donald Trump’s “America First” mandate and roll out a assessment of U.S. funding for a few of the world physique’s businesses.
Noting that the U.S. is the most important single contributor to the United Nations, she pointed to the kids’s company UNICEF and the World Meals Program as examples of U.N. entities which are “efficient,” however mentioned the U.S. has to make sure its investments are making America safer, stronger and extra affluent — echoing Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Our tax {dollars} shouldn’t be complicit in propping up entities which are counter to American pursuits, antisemitic, or partaking in fraud, corruption or terrorism,” Stefanik mentioned in her opening remarks earlier than the Senate International Relations Committee.
She pressured the necessity to reform the world physique, the place lawmakers raised the flexibility of American adversaries Russia and China to veto resolutions within the U.N. Safety Council, and went as far as to say that it has not lived as much as its founding mission.
Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican committee chair, set the tone by sharply criticizing the U.N. in the beginning of the listening to, saying that Stefanik “can carry much-needed change” to the establishment.
“At this level, the U.S. ought to severely study if additional contributions and, certainly, participation within the U.N. is even helpful to the American individuals,” the Idaho lawmaker mentioned.
Harvard-educated and the fourth-ranking member of the U.S. Home, Stefanik was elected to Congress in 2015 as a average Republican and is leaving a decade later as certainly one of Trump’s most ardent allies. She embraced Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol as he denied he misplaced the election to Democrat Joe Biden.
When Trump introduced Stefanik’s appointment, his former nationwide safety adviser John Bolton instructed The Related Press that he sees her as the brand new model of Trump’s U.N. ambassador in his first administration — Nikki Haley. Haley went on to problem him, unsuccessfully, for the GOP nomination final 12 months.
Stefanik “desires to run for president in 2028,” mentioned Bolton, who additionally served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in President George W. Bush’s administration. “She realizes she has no overseas coverage expertise, so what higher manner than to change into U.N. ambassador. She stays two years, after which away we go.”
Stefanik was requested about her views on the wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere in addition to the North Korean and Iranian nuclear packages — all points on the U.N. agenda.
The USA pays about one-fifth of the U.N.’s common price range, and he or she has already been questioned about her feedback on reducing the U.N. price range and persevering with assist for its a number of businesses. These sort out every part from well being, schooling and migration to reproductive rights and nuclear proliferation.
She responded by saying she is open to reviewing businesses to make sure “that every one of our taxpayer {dollars} are going to entities that perform very effectively.”
However she additionally agreed with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons about supporting efforts to strengthen alliances, particularly relating to China’s affect on the world physique. Trump has been skeptical of U.S. alliances, together with NATO and protection partnerships within the Asia-Pacific, which the Biden workforce labored to shore up after taking on from Trump after his first time period.
Stefanik noticed her profile rise after her aggressive questioning final 12 months of a trio of college presidents about antisemitism on their campuses, main to 2 of their resignations — a efficiency Trump repeatedly praised.
“I used to be on this place as a result of for those who take a look at the antisemitic rot throughout the United Nations, there are extra resolutions concentrating on Israel than another nation, another disaster mixed,” Stefanik testified.
She has been very vocal about supporting Israel, particularly because the Hamas cross-border assaults on Oct. 7, 2023, during which militants killed about 1,200 individuals and took some 250 hostage. It led to the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza, the place a ceasefire that the U.S. helped dealer has taken maintain.
Stefanik most just lately was essentially the most senior and longest-serving girl on each the Home Armed Providers Committee and the coveted Home committee that oversees nationwide intelligence.
Stefanik was additionally tapped to be on a choose committee targeted on strategic competitors between the U.S. and China and spent years as a part of a gaggle of Home members negotiating the annual protection authorization invoice, which determines funding for the navy. In 2023, she additionally led a bipartisan delegation of members to the Indo-Pacific together with Japan, Singapore and Thailand to fulfill with numerous authorities, navy and cultural leaders within the area.
Born and raised in upstate New York, Stefanik labored in Bush’s White Home on the home coverage council and within the chief of employees’s workplace.
She was the youngest particular person in her freshman class in Congress — simply 30 — and ascended to the Home management workforce in 2021, changing into the one girl.
In contrast to Rubio, who was confirmed in a unanimous vote Monday evening, just one Democrat — Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — has publicly mentioned he would vote to verify Stefanik so far.
However, many different Democrats have left conferences along with her indicating their assist, together with Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, who’s Jewish and famous their discussions on how Stefanik “plans to push again on politically motivated actions” in opposition to Israel when on the U.N.
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This story has been corrected to indicate that one Democrat has publicly endorsed Stefanik, not that no Democrats have publicly endorsed her.
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Lederer reported from the United Nations.
