Background information and a first assessment of the budget cuts announced by the new US government.
Newly elected US President Donald J. Trump submitted his first draft budget on 16 March 2017. In addition to important increases in the defense budget, cutbacks were announced to the draft budgets for the departments of foreign and environmental affairs. In particular, the proposed cuts to the State Department budget could have a significant impact on the work of the United Nations as the United States is currently the greatest individual donor to the UN as a whole. This explains why the latest announcements from Washington have been met with great concern on the East River.
