The United States is expected to make an initial payment within weeks toward the billions of dollars it owes the United Nations, according to U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, who said Washington remains committed to pushing for continued reforms at the world body.
Waltz made the remarks in a phone interview with Reuters on Friday, two weeks after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the organization faces an “imminent financial collapse” due to unpaid member fees — most of which are owed by the United States.
“You’ll certainly see an initial tranche of money very shortly,” Waltz said. “It will be a significant down payment on our annual dues. I don’t believe the final figure has been determined, but it will be in a matter of weeks.”
U.N. officials say the United States accounts for more than 95% of the unpaid contributions to the U.N.’s regular budget. By early February, Washington owed $2.19 billion. The U.S. also owed another $2.4 billion for current and past peacekeeping missions, along with $43.6 million for U.N. tribunals.
The U.N. General Assembly approved a $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026 on December 30 after weeks of negotiations. The funding covers core operations, including global U.N. offices, headquarters costs in New York, staff salaries, meetings, and development and human rights work.
The U.N. financial crunch comes as the United States under President Donald Trump has moved away from multilateral engagement on multiple fronts. U.S. arrears to the United Nations have grown sharply during his presidency, though Washington has a long history of delayed payments.
U.N. officials say the U.S. did not contribute to the regular budget last year, leaving $827 million unpaid, and it also owes $767 million for 2026.
On Tuesday, Trump signed a spending bill that includes $3.1 billion to cover U.S. dues to the United Nations and other international organizations.
Asked whether the upcoming payment would be directed toward last year’s dues, 2026 dues, or both, Waltz said it would go “in general, toward the arrears,” while also recognizing reforms already initiated at the U.N.
Waltz said the United States strongly supports Guterres’ UN80 reform initiative, calling it an important first step — but not enough.
“It doesn’t go far enough, but it’s an important step,” he said. “I wish the secretary-general had made it in year one or two of his tenure, not year nine.”
Waltz said Washington wants the U.N. to refocus on its core mission, particularly peace and security.
“The president is rightly asking: how can we get the UN back to realizing its full potential?” he said, adding that further reform discussions are ongoing.
Describing Washington’s approach as “tough love,” Waltz said the current U.N. model is unsustainable and requires major streamlining.
He argued that duplication is widespread, noting that multiple agencies overlap in areas such as climate change.
“Regardless of the climate change debate, we don’t need seven agencies with that as their primary mission,” he said. He added that the U.S. supports consolidating logistics and back-office functions across humanitarian agencies.
“The U.N. bureaucracy has grown too large and needs to become far more efficient and effective,” Waltz said.
Guterres launched UN80 reforms last year to reduce costs and improve efficiency. While the approved 2026 regular budget is about $200 million higher than what he proposed, it is roughly 7% lower than the 2025 approved budget.
Last month, Guterres warned the U.N. could run out of cash by July, pointing to a rule that requires the organization to credit back hundreds of millions of dollars in unspent dues to member states each year — even when the money was never paid in the first place.
Waltz said member states should revise that requirement.
Waltz also said U.S. peacekeeping arrears partly stem from a legal mismatch between what the U.N. assesses and what U.S. law permits Washington to pay.
He said the issue would likely be addressed during the next assessment negotiations, expected next year.