The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump has instructed the United States to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, with the departure to take legal effect on Dec. 31, 2026. A State Department statement argued that remaining in the Paris-based agency "is not in the national interest," and accused UNESCO of advancing "divisive social and cultural causes" and maintaining an anti-Israel bias. The order repeats Trump’s 2017 withdrawal, which had been reversed by President Joe Biden when Washington rejoined in 2023. Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly cited UNESCO’s 2011 admission of the State of Palestine and the agency’s focus on U.N. Sustainable Development Goals as evidence of a "globalist, ideological agenda at odds with our America First foreign policy." The State Department also faulted what it called the body’s "proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric." UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called the decision "regrettable but expected," noting that U.S. dues now account for about 8 percent of the organization’s budget—down sharply from roughly 20 percent a decade ago—after the agency diversified funding in the wake of earlier American pullouts. Washington had pledged to repay about $600 million in arrears when it rejoined two years ago. Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, welcomed the move as a step toward ending bias within U.N. bodies, while French President Emmanuel Macron declared "unwavering support" for UNESCO and said the U.S. exit would not weaken French backing. UNESCO officials said programs would continue largely unchanged, and reiterated that the United States remains welcome to return in future.