UNITED NATIONS – The DOGE Caucus just got a consulting offer from an initiative looking to remove waste in the United Nations.
Dynamic Oversight for Global Efficiencies in the U.N. (DOGE-U.N.) is looking to help the caucus identify cost-cutting opportunities and hold the U.N. accountable.
“Accountability should extend beyond domestic institutions to global organizations that America funds. And they all should operate with fiscal responsibility and proper oversight,” DOGE-U.N. wrote in a letter to Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who founded the Senate DOGE Caucus.
A photo illustration showing the United Nations building in New York City and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who founded the DOGE Caucus. (Getty Images)
‘UN80 INITIATIVE’ APPEARS TO SHOW WORLD BODY’S PANIC OVER POSSIBLE DOGE-LIKE CUTS
Last month, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres announced the UN80 Initiative in honor of the 80th anniversary of the international organization. Despite speculation that the initiative was a response to Elon Musk’s work with DOGE, Guterres told reporters that it was completely unrelated. Guterres said the project is meant to handle the U.N.’s ongoing “liquidity crisis.”
“For at least the past seven years, the United Nations has faced a liquidity crisis given the fact that not all member states pay in full, and many member states also do not pay on time,” secretary-general spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told Fox News Digital at the time. “This is about prudent spending planning to ensure that we can continue to fulfill our core functions and the mandates given to us by member states.”
Hugh Dugan, the head of DOGE-U.N., told Fox News Digital that this is an opportunity to reform the U.N., which has not undergone any significant overhaul since 2000. Dugan also emphasized that the U.N. should be under this type of scrutiny more frequently and not just when the U.S. is “frustrated with” the organization.
Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk and seven other members sit down for an exclusive interview on “Special Report.” (Fox News)
DOGE USAID BUDGET CUTS HIT UN IN ‘WORST LIQUIDITY CRISIS SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT’
Under Musk, DOGE first tackled waste at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which drew significant criticism. President Donald Trump listed several examples of the ways USAID allegedly wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars, including millions of dollars that went to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in other countries.
Dugan told Fox News Digital that a significant portion of USAID funding was “funneled” through U.N. entities. He believes the “money trail will definitely be taking us through many of those entities, whether it’s peacekeeping or a U.N. development program.”
In its letter, DOGE-U.N. lists several recommendations for the DOGE Caucus, including decentralizing New York-based U.N. entities to lower-cost countries, which the organization said could save “at least 40% in salaries alone.” DOGE-U.N. also recommends an audit of the U.N.’s ongoing “liquidity crisis.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks about the Israel and Hamas ceasefire deal outside the Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Jan. 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The U.S. is not the only country rethinking its contributions to the international body. Dugan told Fox News Digital that other countries are also reevaluating their spending, but the U.S. is “the most colorful and biggest” because of Musk.
Dugan ultimately pointed the finger at Guterres and told Fox News Digital that there are “whispers and grumblings among ambassadors” who are allegedly dissatisfied with the secretary-general’s performance. Senior U.N. insiders allegedly told Dugan that they too are “very eager” to see things turn around “sooner rather than later.”
Ernst’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
