Haley to UN: ‘We’re taking names’
Nikki Haley promises "fresh eyes" at the UN: "For those that don't have our back, we're taking names." https://t.co/Ud37ZsPEfj pic.twitter.com/YtxsecFtRU
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 27, 2017
New U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Friday warned the international governing body’s members against crossing the U.S.
“There is a new U.S.-U.N.,” she said during her first speech at U.N. headquarters. “We talked to the staff yesterday and you are gonna see a change in the way we do business.”
“Our goal, with the [Trump] administration, is to show value at the U.N.,” added Haley, the former GOP governor of South Carolina. “The way we’ll show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well.
“For those who don’t have our back, we’re taking names. We will make points to respond to that accordingly.”
Haley added the Trump White House would help improve the U.N. and reevaluate its goals as an institution.
“This administration is prepared and ready to have me go in, look at the U.N. and everything that’s working, we’re going to try and make it better,” she said. “Everything that’s not working, we’re going to try and fix.”
“And anything that seems to be obsolete, and not necessary, we’re going to do away with. This is a time of strength. This is a time of action. This is a time of getting things done.”
Haley was cleared as America’s U.N. ambassador Tuesday, making her the fourth of President Trump’s nominees to be confirmed by the Senate.
The former governor blasted the U.N. Security Council’s December vote condemning Israel’s settlement building in disputed territories during her confirmation hearing last week.
“Nowhere has the U.N.’s failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel,” Haley said during her Jan. 18 opening remarks.
“Any honest assessment also finds an institution that is often at odds with American national interests and American taxpayers … are we getting what we pay for?”
Haley was questioning America’s funding to the U.N., which constitutes about 22 percent of the global organization’s budget.
Trump, who has also denounced the U.N. Security Council’s vote on Israeli settlement building, called the institution “obsolete” earlier this month.
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