Elise Stefanik, Trump's UN ambassador pick, could save taxpayers millions if she taps into the 'DOGE' market.

Elise Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman from New York, will soon be appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet.

An immediate priority for a new U.N. ambassador should be to reduce U.S. spending at the organization, according to several former diplomats who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital. The U.S. has been the largest contributor to the U.N. budget, covering one-third of the total expenses in 2022, which amounted to $18.1 billion, up from $11.6 billion in 2020.

A former senior U.S. diplomat, speaking anonymously to Planet Chronicle Digital, stated that with multiple tasks ahead of her, Stefanik must prioritize her goals. The diplomat highlighted cronyism and corruption as major concerns, as well as increasing the number of American staff at the U.N.

The U.N. is an organization that doesn't always align with U.S. foreign policy, which makes it strange to be investing a lot of money and then witnessing a lot of anti-American sentiment and support for causes that we disagree with.

Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, urged Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the heads of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, to halt funding for the U.N. that is contrary to American interests. This immediate cost-saving measure of billions should be low-hanging fruit. At the General Assembly, the United States has only one vote among 193 member states and is frequently outvoted by an undemocratic, anti-American, and anti-Israel majority on crucial issues. However, as soon as we lose, we turn around and pay for all the lawfare and antisemitic schemes that those very same resolutions create.

""The United Nations should stop being a global money-launderer for terrorists and antisemites dressed up as human rights experts and refugees, and use taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous and lethal U.N. output," Bayefsky said."

If confirmed as the US Ambassador to the UN, Elise Stefanik is ready to push for reform and advance President Trump's America-first, peace-through-strength national security agenda on the world stage.

Hugh Dugan, a former National Security Council adviser and U.S. diplomat at the world body, established DOGE-U.N. to replicate the "approach and objective" of DOGE.

Dugan stated that DOGE-U.N. is a standalone resource, but he hopes it can be used for collaboration and reduce the analytical work required to examine outlays more closely.

Dugan is working to identify practical early wins that demonstrate the potential for making the U.N. more efficient and cost-effective. This includes reviewing the U.N. procurement manual to prevent corruption and malfeasance and ensure that there are consequences for all procurement matters on behalf of the American taxpayer. Additionally, DOGE-U.N. will investigate how and where the U.N. has evolved into its own Deep State, ignoring and overlooking the desires and will of member states for efficiency and accountable resource management.

Dugan stated that the U.S. "must be active shareholders" in the U.N. "We need to improve our skills in Washington, receive better guidance, and allocate more resources to these issues because if the U.S. does not participate with these questions, concerns, and criticisms, no other country will."

Dugan stated that while DOGE-U.N. aims to tackle inefficiencies, there is a possibility of allocating funds to programs that cannot be supported from a policy standpoint. To achieve this, Dugan emphasized the importance of strong accountability for the secretary-general's use of U.S. resources to prevent the U.N. from playing a shell game with our contributions and continuing to fund programs we dislike.

The secretary-general of the United Nations has the power to decide whether the findings of U.N. investigations should be made public or kept confidential.

Peter Gallo, a former investigator with the OIOS, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that the independent oversight function is not independent and recommended that the investigative function be removed from the U.N. Gallo suggested that investigations should be subject to independent oversight, and every dollar spent should be reviewed in the immediate term.

Gallo is particularly concerned about the extent to which UNRWA employees have been linked to terror groups, as investigations into this matter have been neither transparent nor independent.

Dugan stated that he believes stepping away from the organization would be counterproductive, as China is eager to take advantage of any leadership void and use it to further their own hegemonic objectives.

Dugan stated that he hopes the DOGE-U.N.'s findings will assist the administration in identifying overlooked valuations and creating the necessary resources to prevent China from taking control of it.

The divergence of the U.N. from U.S. interests is highlighted by a recent topic of debate at the organization.

The U.S. ceased funding for UNRWA from January 2024 to March 2025 following revelations that agency members were involved in the October 7 attacks that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, including 45 Americans.

The Israeli Knesset prohibited UNRWA from operating in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem due to growing evidence of Hamas infiltration in UNRWA.

In December, a proposal was presented to the Fifth Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, which deals with budgetary and financial matters, suggesting that the International Court of Justice provide an advisory opinion on Israel's UNRWA ban. The proposal cited Israel's "responsibilities to ensure and facilitate the unimpeded delivery of critical supplies" and "to provide essential services and humanitarian development assistance."

Although the U.S. opposed the resolution, it abstained on a related vote regarding the funding needed to implement it, which amounted to $298,900.

The U.S. Department of State spokesperson informed Planet Chronicle Digital that the U.S. has consistently opposed a request for an advisory opinion on a matter, including voting against a related General Assembly resolution. The budget is a separate issue. The role of the U.N. General Assembly's Fifth Committee is not to question mandates authorized by other U.N. bodies.

According to Bayefsky, the State Department's comment is a "twisted, indefensible strategy" by the Biden administration. The U.S. role in the U.N.'s budget committee is not to "second-guess" spending our money, Bayefsky stated.