Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York and President Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, pledged on Tuesday to combat antisemitism, counter Chinese influence, and, if necessary, leverage American contributions to force changes.
“I share President Trump’s vision of a U.N. reformed by strong, America-first, peace through strength,” Ms. Stefanik told senators during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, adding that “our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic, or engaging in fraud, corruption, or terrorism.”
Republicans welcomed the selection of Ms. Stefanik, who began her congressional career as a moderate but evolved to become one of Mr. Trump’s staunchest backers in the House during his first term, as a person who would shake up the United Nations.
She is also expected to earn the support of a number of Democrats, many of whom disagree with her views, but who commended her for engaging with them nonetheless.
Ms. Stefanik has denounced the United Nations as a “den of antisemitism,” criticism she repeated frequently during her confirmation hearing, as she decried the United Nations for taking an unfairly critical approach to Israel. She added that Israel would be “a huge priority for me” if confirmed.
On several occasions, she also singled out the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which is known as UNRWA and serves Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem, as too deeply infiltrated by Hamas to deserve U.S. support. U.N. investigators recently investigated allegations that some of its employees were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7. 2023, and fired several people who were accused of participating.