Story highlights The dramatic cuts would include a 37%, or $20 billion, slash in funding

The White House also wants to reduce US dues to other international organizations

(CNN) The White House has instructed the State Department and the US mission to the United Nations to cut their budgets for UN programs nearly in half, including US peacekeeping and development assistance, two senior US officials told CNN on Monday.

The dramatic cuts, which include a 37%, or $20 billion, slash in funding for the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, reflect a desire by the Trump administration to reduce US commitments to international organizations.

Foreign Policy first reported the details of the White House's proposal to dramatically reduce spending on foreign aid.

US diplomats in New York had warned their UN counterparts about the likely "steep" cuts to US funding for the UN, one Western diplomat said, but not provided any details.

The White House wants to cut the programs funded out of the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs by half, the US officials said. While the cuts would impact UN programs the most, the White House also wants to reduce US dues to other international organizations and ask other member states to pick up the slack.

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