The State Department announced that the U.S. is 'rejecting the outdated model of multilateralism' after a review led by Secretary Marco Rubio. That review informed President Donald Trump's January 2026 memorandum directing withdrawal from 66 international organizations and an end to related U.S. funding and participation. The list includes U.N.-affiliated bodies such as the UNFCCC and UN Women, as well as non-U.N. groups like the International Solar Alliance. The administration calls the move a recalibration of U.S. global engagement under its 'America First' agenda.
US Ends 'Blank Checks' to International Bureaucracies, Moves to Withdraw From 66 Global Organizations
Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds his end-of-year press conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2025.
The State Department announced Saturday that the United States is 'rejecting the outdated model of multilateralism,' asserting that the existing system has effectively made American taxpayers 'the world’s underwriter for a sprawling architecture of global governance.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a memo posted to the State Department's Substack, said a review ordered in February 2025 produced findings that led to a January 2026 presidential memorandum directing the U.S. to withdraw from 66 international organizations and to cease participation in and funding for entities judged contrary to U.S. interests.
The United Nations Headquarters building in New York City on July 16, 2024.
Rubio wrote: 'What we term the international system is now overrun with hundreds of opaque international organizations, many with overlapping mandates, duplicative actions, ineffective outputs, and poor financial and ethical governance.'
'Even those that once performed useful functions have increasingly become inefficient bureaucracies, platforms for politicized activism, or instruments that run counter to our nation's best interests,' the memo added.
The administration framed the move as part of President Donald Trump's broader 'America First' agenda to eliminate spending it considers wasteful, ineffective, or contrary to national priorities. Officials emphasized that the action is intended as a recalibration of U.S. multilateral engagement rather than an abandonment of global leadership.
The list of affected organizations includes U.N.-affiliated bodies such as the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the U.N. Democracy Fund. Non-U.N. groups cited include the International Solar Alliance and the Global Forum on Migration and Development.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers to President Donald Trump, who is holding the note Rubio handed to him, during a roundtable meeting on Antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C.
The February 4, 2025, review that informed the memorandum charged Secretary Rubio and the U.S. representative to the United Nations with evaluating all intergovernmental organizations, conventions, and treaties to which the United States provides funding or support, in order to determine which are contrary to U.S. interests. The review's findings were presented to the president, who consulted with his Cabinet before issuing the January 2026 directive.
Implementation will require executive departments and agencies to halt participation and funding for the named organizations, subject to legal and procedural requirements. Administration supporters argue the step will protect taxpayers and pressure international bodies to reform; critics warn it could reduce U.S. influence on global efforts addressing climate change, migration, democracy promotion, and gender equality.
The State Department said agencies will provide further details on timelines and specific next steps. Reporting contributions to this story were noted in the original coverage.
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