WASHINGTON, Jan 22, (AP): US Rep Elise Stefanik pledged Tuesday to push President Donald Trump’s "America First” stance if confirmed as US ambassador to the United Nations and roll out a review of US funding critical for UN operations and its many agencies around the world. Noting that the US is the largest single contributor to the United Nations, Stefanik said at her confirmation hearing that the country has to ensure its investments are making America safer, stronger and more prosperous - echoing Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"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,” Stefanik said in her opening remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She stressed the need to reform the UN, where several resolutions have passed condemning Israel over its war in Gaza.

And she said it has not lived up to its founding mission after World War II to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Lawmakers noted the ability for American rivals Russia and China to veto resolutions in the most powerful UN body, the Security Council, notably Moscow's blocking of any condemnation of its invasion of Ukraine.

SenJim Risch, the Republican committee chairman, set the tone by sharply criticizing the UN, saying Stefanik "can bring much-needed change.” He called for a reevaluation of every UN agency to determine if its actions benefit America - and if they don’t "hold them accountable until the answer is a resounding yes.” "At this point, the US should seriously examine if further contributions and, indeed, participation in the UN is even beneficial to the American people,” the Idaho lawmaker said.

The United States pays just over one-fifth of the UN’s regular budget, and Stefanik was questioned repeatedly about US support for its multiple agencies, which tackle everything from health, education and migration to reproductive rights and nuclear proliferation. The US currently owes $1.5 billion to the UN regular budget and $1.3 billion almost entirely to the separate UN peacekeeping budget, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. He defended the UN's work and said its most important contribution was providing a peaceful venue for its 193 members to deal with potential conflicts and global challenges.