Cutting UNICEF Undercuts American Interests

As Congress considers the White House rescissions package, which would codify significant cuts to America’s foreign aid power, lawmakers must consider the adverse impacts that these reductions could have on our nation’s safety and security and, most important, our economy.

The secretary of state’s plan to reorganize the State Department shows that the White House understands the need for soft power tools such as foreign aid programs to effect change overseas that benefits Americans. For instance, the plan would include an undersecretary-level position, reporting to the secretary, for foreign assistance and humanitarian affairs.

This is smart and would enable, if properly resourced, President Trump’s team to address threats that military equipment alone cannot mitigate, such as disease transmission, migration and destabilizing crises.

Unfortunately, the rescissions package under consideration claws back funds for specific foreign aid initiatives. It goes beyond the cuts previously proposed and could make it much more difficult to advance American interests abroad and protect Americans’ health, safety and prosperity here at home.

The most concerning proposed rescission is zeroing out support for UNICEF. The proposal lumps this support removal into its request to take back core funding for all United Nations entities. This would eliminate the core funding UNICEF relies on to carry out its mission, including vital food security programs that contribute to stability in key regions and health programs that keep diseases from reaching American shores.

The administration is right to ensure that U.S. funds for international programs benefit American taxpayers at home. The U.S. government’s support of UNICEF does just that; removing this critical funding would be detrimental to U.S. citizens.

UNICEF is leading global disease prevention and nutrition work that benefits children in more than 190 countries and territories, mitigating ongoing and emerging threats to the American public.

UNICEF's essential health and vaccination services have protected more than 400 million children from developing and spreading deadly diseases, such as polio and measles. In humanitarian emergencies, UNICEF provides safe water and sanitation, which help prevent the spread of diseases such as Ebola and cholera, which, left unchecked, could reach American shores. Vaccination programs do the same.

In 2024 alone, UNICEF helped provide 441 million children younger than 5 with lifesaving services to prevent malnutrition, treating 9.3 million children for severe wasting and other forms of acute malnutrition. These critical programs, which span 130 countries worldwide, save children’s lives, strengthen communities and help build resilience against the conditions that push children and their parents into desperation. By providing lifesaving care and nutrition, UNICEF's programs also address the root causes of people fleeing so that families don’t have to try to find this help elsewhere, including in the United States.

Funding for foreign aid programs keeps threats to fellow Americans at bay and creates jobs in the United States. In 2024 alone, the federal government’s investment of $137 million in UNICEF core resources helped generate $770 million in revenue for American farmers and businesses across 37 states. For example, U.S. foreign assistance is a major source of income for MANA Nutrition, a ready-to-use therapeutic food manufacturer with a production facility in the second poorest county in Georgia. The company employs 120 people and purchases products from farmers across multiple states.

The White House said the rescissions package “would encourage international organizations to be more efficient.” UNICEF is already efficient; 90 cents of every dollar it spends goes directly to programs. However, UNICEF is further maximizing its impact by streamlining operations and cutting costs, increasing its return on investment.

The United States faces many state and nonstate threats. Military tools keep Americans safe and secure. However, kinetic resources, whether stealth bombers or surface-to-air missiles, cannot prevent diseases from spreading to the United States. Nor can they address migration or stabilize deadly conflicts that hinder market access for U.S. companies.

We need soft power tools such as foreign aid to address these and other challenges. This is not an argument based on ideology but on facts. If the administration wants to prioritize American interests, it cannot rely on military equipment alone. It needs strong foreign aid programs.

Congress should immediately reject this rescission of UNICEF's funding. UNICEF enjoys support from hundreds of thousands of Americans across all 50 states and has enjoyed decades of bipartisan backing. Cutting its funding would significantly impact critical work around the world that makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous.

Michael J. Nyenhuis is the president and CEO of UNICEF USA, an independent, charitable organization that rallies the American public to support UNICEF's mission. Patrick W. Quirk is vice president for global policy and public affairs at UNICEF USA. He served on the secretary of state’s policy planning staff during the first Trump administration.

This opinion piece was originally published in The Washington Times on July 1, 2025.

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