Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the United Nations Ambassador, testifies during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing for her pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, in Washington. (AP photo — Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, as the full Senate is set to vote on potentially confirming her to be ambassador to the United Nations under recently inaugurated President Donald Trump. If confirmed, Stefanik said she would be an advocate for the United States in an organization she believes often works against U.S. values.

As committee members asked a range of friendly, confrontational and interrogative questions, she laid out what her actions in the massively influential role would look like. This is a position where her decisions won’t be just national, but international.

She wants to hold the U.N. accountable to America’s values, keep China from gaining influence in the international body, protect Israel from accusations of human rights violations by the U.N., use America’s massive spending on the organization as leverage to guide it, reevaluate all spending on the organization, make cuts and show taxpayers what is being spent is providing some sort of return.

Committee members clamored for her attention on conflicts around the world, asking her to address their concerns in places like Sudan, Haiti, the Philippines and Syria. She agreed to, but along the lines of Trump’s “America First” mandate. This means that the U.N.’s actions should always benefit America. She’s a firm believer in “peace through strength,” saying diplomacy without the threat of force doesn’t work. Deterrence is “key” for diplomacy, she said, and she advocates for a strong military.

Stefanik has been critical of the U.N., especially in the past year, as the organization has criticized Israel for its major ground and air attack of Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, when more than 1,200 people were killed and around 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s attacks have killed more than 46,600 people, according to Palestinian health officials. In November, the U.N. Human Rights Office reported that around 70% of the dead are women and children.

Stefanik spoke of a deep “rot” of antisemitism within the organization she’d be ambassador to, accusing it of targeting the only Jewish nation on the planet with investigations. She’s pledged to bring “moral clarity” to the organization.

Though members of her party have for years called for the U.S. to remove itself from the U.N. — America is the U.N.’s largest financial contributor — Stefanik wants to reform the U.N. from within. She believes it to be an important diplomatic battleground with “adversary countries,” especially China, as they grapple for power on the global stage.

In recent days, Stefanik’s been visiting senators to talk to them about the position and lobby for their votes.

Despite questions about if the U.S. will stay a member of the U.N. under Trump, Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine said, in their private meeting, Stefanik told him she plans to engage, not disengage with the U.N. She said Trump sees “great promise” in the U.N., only if it holds to its stated mission. Stefanik said she owes it to the American taxpayers to use its funding to drive reforms in the U.N. by threatening to remove some of those funds if it doesn’t amend what America wants it to. She said this is a “key tool.” The U.S. supplies 22% of the U.N.’s regular budget and 25% of its peacekeeping budget, spending $18 billion on the body per year.

Kaine also said Stefanik told him that on some issues, her position is different than Trump’s.

Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, the highest-ranking Democrat of the committee, said that U.N. peacekeeping missions benefit America, because otherwise, their fights would fall to the U.S. military.

She does find the U.N. to be “imperfect,” but said if the U.S. doesn’t support it, it’s adversaries will.

Stefanik would be playing a tricky game of simultaneously trying to out-perform China for more power in the U.N. while also using the threat of revoking U.S. contributions as leverage to influence the international body.

China’s U.N. contributions have increased by 700% over two decades, senators said.

“U.S. disengagement is something our adversaries want,” Shaheen said. “When we cut back, they are ready and very eager to fill that void.”

As ambassador, Stefanik would be the U.S.’s representative to the U.N. Security Council. She would advocate for the U.S. government’s interests to the international body, and implement U.N. policy in the U.S.

The UNSC has a stated goal of world peace. Stefanik said it’s failed to achieve that goal, and is working against it.

The UNSC is in charge of issuing sanctions on countries, authorizing peacekeeping military forces and authorizing military actions.

On the 15-member U.N. Security Council, Stefanik would be one of five permanent members — which are from the U.S., UK, China, France and Russia. Having adversaries like China and Russia within this permanent group complicates things. Each one has a veto power on any resolution. They hold a lot of power over what the U.N. General Assembly considers as the only U.N. body which can create resolutions that are binding for member states. They can also veto leader nomination or new member states. The UNSC will pick a new head secretary-general in 2026.

Stefanik did not give specifics on reforms she’d like on the U.N. Security Council, but said she would be talking with Trump about this.

Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, R-Florida, came up often, and Stefanik said she’ll be working with him closely. Some questions on specifics she deferred until after she talks more with Rubio and Trump. Stefanik would also be a member of Trump’s presidential Cabinet, comprised of advisors who inform his decisions on their areas of expertise.

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Review and reform

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Shaheen asked Stefanik how she would convince skeptics that investments in the U.N. are important. Stefanik said this would be done by a review of how dollars are being spent.

“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.

All programs should make the U.S. more safe, strong and prosperous, she said, adding that some programs are not meeting that. The program she’s spoken out against directly is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The U.S. stopped funding UNRWA one year ago and Stefanik had been calling for the removal of that funding because several UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.

She supports U.N. agencies like the High Commissioner for Refugees, International Children’s Emergency Fund and World Food Program.

She plans to do a full assessment of U.S. funding of U.N. programs, and defund some of them. The ones that are kept, she said she’d connect to the American taxpayer to show their value. For example, she sees the WFP as results-focused and beneficial to America in terms of national security, agriculture and workforce.

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China

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There is concern among Congress that China is trying to displace the U.S. as the leading world power.

Committee Chair Republican James Risch lamented that the U.S. often gets outvoted in the U.N. General Assembly because China is “buying” smaller countries’ votes by doing favors for them. Stefanik said she would push back on this. Since every country gets one vote, she promised to block CCP inroads in the global south and the western hemisphere, getting countries to partner with the U.S. and its interests, instead.

Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, said from 2009 to 2021, Chinese employment at the U.N. is up 85%.

Stefanik wants to partner with colleges, the private sector and states to recruit more American U.N. staff. This is one of her “top priorities” and committee members indicated there is bipartisan interest in this. Stefanik said the U.S. or its allies need to have candidates for elections from junior to senior U.N. agency positions, to cut the Chinese off.

She supports defensive military aid to Taiwan and wants to avoid war there. China lays claim to the island of Taiwan, but the country with its own government says it is a sovereign, independent nation. Tensions between the two have been high lately. Stefanik pledged to ensure Taiwan has maximum participation in the U.N.

She also plans to push back on China’s U.N. classification as a “developing nation.” She doesn’t believe it is — China has the second-largest GDP of any country — and said the country has “exploited” this classification to get huge advantages in funding and borrowing.

Of the 193 member states, she identified Israel and the United Kingdom as America’s best allies, also mentioning Japan, Australia and France. She reiterated that she wants more allies in South America and Africa to contend with China on the voting floor.

Corey Booker, D-New Jersey lamented that the U.S. and U.N. are often reactive to crises.

“If investments were made early on in the stability of nations, we could have done much better,” Booker said.

In America’s power contest with China, this allows them an advantage though lack of engagement or focus, he said.

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Fantasy

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While Stefanik is likely to be confirmed as ambassador — the Republicans have a majority in the Senate — Democrats are figuring out how they’ll vote on her appointment.

Tim Kaine submitted a 2021 tweet from Stefanik into the record of the hearing: “Radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a PERMANENT ELECTION INSURRECTION. Their plan to grant amnesty to 11 MILLION illegal immigrants will overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington.”

“Are there any Democratic senators that you think are for open borders and mass amnesty for illegal, undocumented people?” Kaine asked her.

“I think there are Democratic senators who have supported open borders,” Stefanik said.

Kaine mentioned three bipartisan border security bills that he sponsored which had been shot down by Republicans or Trump.

“The notion that Democratic senators are for open borders and allowing illegal aliens to vote is a fantasy,” Kaine said. “I really appreciate the opportunity to meet with you but now I have questions about if you’d fall for a fantasy. I’m going to have to ponder that.”

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Pulling out

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Two of Trump’s first executive orders upon arriving in the presidency again were to withdraw from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords.

The U.S. gave $1.3 billion to the WHO between 2022 and 2023. Stefanik supports the withdrawal from the WHO, and said it failed during the coronavirus pandemic, accusing it of spewing “CCP talking points” and deadly information. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, said he thinks leaving the WHO is a mistake. If the U.S. doesn’t play a role in global public health standards, China will set them for us, he said.

Stefanik prefers other U.N. programs focused on global health.

She also supports withdrawing from the climate agreement. She said she supports U.S. “energy dominance.”

Chris Coons, D-Deleware, had “profound concern” over an executive order Trump signed Monday which put a 90-day pause on all foreign development aid. The scope of this pause is not known and Coons had concerns about it including U.N. humanitarian aid, including the WFP, aid to Ukraine’s energy grid, Jordan and the Philippines. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, believes this will have “material consequences” on countries around the world.

Stefanik said she supports the pause. They want to look at each aid spending line and determine if they like it. When Schatz asked if this timeline could be sped up, he didn’t like Stefanik’s answer.