US Congress Proposal Would Cut Funding for 8,000 UN Peacekeepers

A Republican budget plan to cut US support for UN international peacekeeping operations would leave 8,000 peacekeepers in various global hot spots unfunded, Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan said in a letter to US House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Donovan said he sent the letter to outline numerous problems with the appropriations bill for the State Department and other US foreign operations before consideration by the full Appropriations Committee.

“The reductions in the bill, which impact every active mission, would not only undercut the US Government's commitment to paying its UN dues in full and on time, but translate into nearly 8,000 fewer peacekeepers in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world,” Donovan said in the letter on Wednesday.

The bill would cut funding for the US State Department and other foreign policy programs by $6.1 billion, or 11 percent, below the President Barack Obama’s budget proposal.

The bill would reduce international peacekeeping funding by $900 million, or about 25 percent below Obama’s request.