A proposal for yet another executive order Wednesday, reported on by Max Fisher of the New York Times and Joshua Hersh of Vice, would drastically cut U.S. funding for the U.N. and other international organizations. The draft itself hasn’t been published, and it’s hard to know how far along in the approval process it may be or how seriously it’s being taken, but one weird thing did jump out.
According to the Times, the order would eliminate U.S. funding for organizations that meet a number of criteria, including any organization that gives full membership to the Palestinian Authority or Palestine Liberation Organization. But the U.S. is already prohibited from funding those organizations by federal law. That’s why the U.S. cut funding to UNESCO after it approved Palestinian membership in 2011.
The proposal would also recommend cuts to funding of the International Criminal Court, which the U.S. is not a member of and is also already prohibited by law from funding.
In its zeal to cut U.S. support for international organizations, the Trump administration might be going after funds that don’t exist.
