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Exclusive: US pauses financial contributions to WTO, trade sources say.

GENEVA, March 27 (Reuters) - The United States has paused contributions to the World Trade Organization, three trade sources told Reuters, as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration ramps up efforts to cut government spending.
The Trump administration is retreating from global institutions it sees as at odds with his "America First" economic policies. It plans to quit some, such as the World Health Organization, and has cut contributions to others as part of a broad review of federal spending.

The WTO has already been hobbled by a U.S. move in 2019 during Trump's first term to block new judge appointments to its top appeals court, which left its key dispute settlement system only partially functional. Washington had accused the WTO Appellate Body of judicial overreach in trade disputes.
The Geneva-based trade watchdog had an annual budget of 205 million Swiss francs ($232.06 million) in 2024. The United States was due to contribute about 11% of that based on a fees system that is proportionate to its share of global trade, according to public WTO documents.

A U.S. delegate told a March 4 WTO budget meeting that its payments to the 2024 and 2025 budgets were on hold pending a review of contributions to international organisations and that it would inform the WTO of the outcome at an unspecified date, two trade sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said.
A third trade source confirmed their account and said the WTO was coming up with a "Plan B" in case of a prolonged funding pause, without elaborating.

All three sources asked for confidentiality because the budget meeting was private and the U.S. funding pause has not been formally announced.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A State Department spokesperson said Trump last month signed an executive order directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review within 180 days all international organizations the U.S. is a member of "to determine if they are contrary to U.S. interests."

"Funding for the WTO, along with other international organizations, is currently under review," the spokesperson said.

WTO spokesperson Ismaila Dieng said that U.S. contributions had been on the way but "got caught up in the pause of all payments to international agencies".

"Generally, arrears can impact the operational capacity of the WTO Secretariat. But the Secretariat continues to manage its resources prudently and has plans in place to enable it to operate within the financial limitations imposed by any arrears," he said, referring further questions to U.S. authorities.


As of end-December 2024, the United States had arrears of 22.7 million Swiss francs ($25.70 million), according to a WTO document obtained by Reuters marked "RESTRICTED" and dated February 21.

Under WTO rules, any member that fails to pay its dues after more than a year is subject to "administrative measures" - a series of punitive steps that get progressively stricter the longer the fees go unpaid.
The country is now classified as being in the first of three such categories, two of the trade sources confirmed to Reuters, which means its representatives can no longer preside over WTO bodies nor receive formal documentation.


Reuters could not immediately establish if the WTO was already applying these measures to the United States.

William Reinsch, a former U.S. Commerce official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said he thought the U.S. would eventually pay its WTO bill. He said the Trump administration had nominated a U.S. ambassador to the institution, which indicated some desire to remain engaged.

WTO spokesperson Dieng confirmed the chair of the budget committee had informed WTO members that the United States was currently in "Category 1 arrears", along with other countries.

"It remains the responsibility of WTO Members to implement the consequences associated with arrears," he said.
As of end-2024, five other member countries - Bolivia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gabon and Gambia - were in that category, the WTO restricted document showed.
A total 38.4 million Swiss francs of contributions were outstanding, including unpaid fees from 2024 and prior, it showed.

Source:https://www.reuters.com/world/us-suspends-financial-contributions-wto-trade-sources-say-2025-03-27/

Amerika..

I now empathize with Trump. US is running on huge deficits and it will be deeply stupid to keep funding the whole world claiming the police and big brother of the world.

Nice one. Everybody go kollet

Ngozi will not like this

The man is trying all to increases his country's wealth in order to fight his enemies better.

That's all I see in the whole game

Hmmm... Everyone should also stop the use of dollars as a benchmark except for direct trade with the US

What a bombshell

This is serious, this one hits home.

I hope this fight with China will not ruin all of us

I believe all this stuff US is funding over the world there is no way they are getting absolutely nothing financial or otherwise

My question is what are they gonna loose based on this unfunding

donmik:
The man is trying all to increases his country's wealth in order to fight his enemies better.

That's all I see in the whole game

No. He wants to reduce deficit. Their deficit annually is not small o. Like our entitled aboki brethren up north, americans have been brainwashed over tiime that they deserve a lot of good things by default. The robust production system fuelling their good life or american dream has collapsed. Simple. They need a change in approach or risk going burst.

Good work John.

Wahala for Ngozzi

RepoMan007:
I now empathize with Trump. US is running on huge deficits and it will be deeply stupid to keep funding the whole world claiming the police and big brother of the world.

At the sane time, the people benefiting from US keep insulting and setting her up

I don't blame him sha

donmik:
The man is trying all to increases his country's wealth in order to fight his enemies better.

That's all I see in the whole game

nope. He's destroying the country. And it's a good thing too. US imperialism will die under his regime.

Good. trump knows what he's doing ..the u.s owe more debt than any other first world country no more irrelevant spending China is already ahead of them in world trade

Every time cut,cut,cut, like manji wey him slip cut,abeggi,Wata Bam Bam

Noted.

MomoriOchiro:
nope. He's destroying the country. And it's a good thing too. US imperialism will die under his regime.

Explain how

The world should stop using the US dollars as a global currency of trade to help the American dollars.

chipet67:
Explain how

He is cutting funding for programs to grant $1.5trn tax cut to the rich Americans

Removing American soft power they have had and maintained for decades.

Nice move. We either learn to be independent or we perish. This will put more pressure on presidents to sit up.

If you enter northern Nigeria, even people that can hardly spell AMERICA correctly wrote "DEATH TO AMERICA" in different locations. These same people have never written death to any of our corrupt leaders for once.

When there is no alternative to being independently successful, we will try more to see how to succeed.

I wish trump would also tell the IRS to cut down taxes on the citizens since his trying to save spending we citizens also need to save cost...

Tax Return on my mind.

Trump destroying foundations

Trump is really getting nutty.

Gradually the US is reducing it's influence on the world. That big brother status is gradually ending. In a few years to come we will be able to say "when USA was USA"

donmik:
The man is trying all to increases his country's wealth in order to fight his enemies better.

That's all I see in the whole game

He's cutting jobs, medical aids, aids to poorer countries so him and his billionaire friends (Musk et al) won't have to pay taxes.

Iamgrey5:
The world should stop using the US dollars as a global currency of trade to help the American dollars.

Who is the "world" in this case?
Don't tell me it is the same independent countries that you can't even get to do something very basic stuff.
Every country works for its own interest and not the "worlds".

I hope Donald Trump will get the Congress to cut US taxes now that America stepping aside from saving the world.