State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce explained Tuesday that the United States has withdrawn from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, because it's not "aligned with" President Donald Trump's "America first" values.
By definition, UNESCO "promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide," not strictly to meet American objectives.
Nonetheless, Bruce explained that the decision came as the result of an "executive order that the president issued...to have a review of the international organizations that we're involved in to make sure, just like with foreign aid -- are these organizations aligned with the values of the America First framework?"
She claimed that "UNESCO's decision to admit the, quote, 'state of Palestine,' unquote, as a member state is highly problematic."
Therefore, she said, "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the continued national interest of the United States. UNESCO works to advance divisive cultural and social causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN's sustainable development goals, a global, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy."
The Trump administration previously pulled out of UNESCO in 2017 due to "anti-Israel bias." After a five-year hiatus, President Joe Biden re-entered the organization.