US cuts financial contributions to WTO - Decision part of efforts to reduce government spending
The United States has suspended contributions to the World Trade Organization (WTO), three trade sources told Reuters, as the administration of US President Donald Trump steps up efforts to cut government spending.
The US administration is withdrawing from global institutions it sees as at odds with its "America First" economic policies. The government plans to withdraw from some, such as the World Health Organization, and has cut contributions to others.
The WTO has been hampered by a U.S. move during Trump’s first term to block the appointment of new judges to its top appeals court. The obstruction left the key dispute settlement system only partially functional. At the time, Washington accused the WTO’s Appellate Body of judicial overreach in trade disputes.
The Geneva-based trade watchdog had an annual budget of $232 million in 2024. The United States was supposed to contribute about 11% of the budget, based on a tariff system that is proportional to its share of global trade, according to public WTO documents.
A US delegate told a budget meeting of the organization on March 4 that payments for the 2024 and 2025 budgets had been put on hold, pending a review of contributions to international organizations. He added that he would inform the WTO of the outcome at an unspecified date.
Another trade source confirmed the details of the meeting and said the Organization is considering a "Plan B" in the event of a prolonged funding pause.
According to a State Department spokesperson, Trump last month signed an executive order instructing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review within 180 days all international organizations of which the United States is a member "to determine whether they are contrary to U.S. interests."
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