Mike Waltz Plans UN Reform, Targets China Influence

Mike Waltz, nominated by President Donald Trump as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, pledged during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing to reform the UN by addressing its bureaucracy, inefficiency, and anti-American bias, vowing to “make the UN great again.” Waltz criticized the UN’s bloated structure, particularly highlighting the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and its perceived anti-Semitic content, while also defending Secretary General Antonio Guterres's reform initiative. He emphasized the need to counter China's growing influence within the UN system, which he described as exploiting favorable developing nation status to embed personnel in key roles. Democrats expressed concerns that reducing U.S. engagement could cede influence to adversaries like China, urging Waltz to maintain American leadership to shape reforms effectively. The hearing briefly touched on the “Signalgate” scandal involving Waltz’s accidental addition of a journalist to a sensitive military chat, with Waltz defending that no classified information was shared and investigations remain ongoing. Waltz framed his mission as restoring the UN’s core peacemaking role amid challenges and pledged close cooperation with Congress and U.S. allies under President Trump’s leadership.