New York, New York - The US on Thursday pledged an additional $1.8 billion for UN humanitarian aid in 2026, after President Donald Trump slashed foreign assistance under his "America First" agenda.

The additional payment brings the total US aid package for the United Nations this year to $3.8 billion – still far less than before Trump's return to the White House in January 2025.

"These funds will save more lives around the world, but also drive forward the reforms that we put in place for efficiency, accountability, and lasting impact," US ambassador Mike Waltz told reporters in New York.

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The funding comes on top of $2 billion the US promised in December for humanitarian work in 18 countries, which it released in exchange for UN commitments to reforms.

Washington has accused UN aid programs of being inefficient and undermining American values by adhering to "radical social ideologies" related to diversity.

"We found that when the UN does what it does best, delivering humanitarian aid in remote, difficult locations, at scale with a reliable and affordable supply chain, it can and does succeed," Waltz said.

"It's only, then, when the organization strays from its core mission that it tends to not perform nearly as well as it should," he added.

Waltz also rejected narratives that the US has "walked away" from humanitarian aid as "absolutely false."

In 2025, the US remained the leading donor to humanitarian response plans worldwide, but with a major drop: $2.7 billion compared with $11 billion in 2024.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the latest US pledge "will allow humanitarians to reach millions of people in the most urgent crises with lifesaving support."

The UN says that it needs $33 billion in 2026 to support 135 million people impacted by wars, epidemics, climate change, and natural disasters.

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But faced with a drop in funding, humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher in December presented a streamlined plan that requires $23 billion to help 87 million of the people most at risk.

For now, the plan is only funded at $7.3 billion.

"With this fresh funding, we will save millions of lives," Fletcher said of the latest US commitment at Thursday's news conference.

"This allocation will allow us to accelerate and expand on the progress made, saving lives, reforming the system, defending the impartiality and neutrality of humanitarian action."

Beyond humanitarian funding, the US paid nothing in 2025 towards the regular UN budget, to which it is typically the largest contributor.

Washington's outstanding arrears amount to around $2 billion for the regular budget, and $2.2 billion for peacekeeping operations.