Washington Reportedly Limits Funding to Key WMD Verification Agencies

Two leading international nonproliferation agencies identified by the State Department as directly advancing “U.S. national security, economic interests, and global stability” are nonetheless facing a grave budgetary shortfall as a result of U.S. funding conditions. The Trump administration is reportedly delaying funding for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which both play a key role in combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The United States has paid roughly 20 percent of its $17 million in OPCW dues for 2026, which altogether account for 20 percent of the OPCW’s $90 million budget. A knowledgeable Western source told FDD that the administration recently paid partial IAEA dues for 2026, but further delays could jeopardize critical activities by next month. Both organizations are generally effective, apolitical institutions whose global efforts to counter WMD threats depend on sustained U.S. funding. The delays appear linked to President Donald Trump’s February 2025 Executive Order 14199, which directed a review of U.S.-funded international organizations and participation in conventions and treaties. The review remains ongoing. The State Department told The Washington Post it was assessing “the OPCW’s ability to exercise responsible stewardship over [taxpayer] dollars,” adding that the United States supports OPCW’s mission but wants it to be “as efficient and effective as possible with its budget.” At the September 2026 IAEA General Conference, Energy Secretary Chris Wright urged the IAEA “to prioritize operational efficiency, eliminate redundant programs, and ensure that all funding contributed by Member States is used to uphold the foundational promise that underpins the nuclear nonproliferation regime.” U.S. Ambassador Preston Wells Griffith III meanwhile told the IAEA Board of Governors that “savings to date remain modest” and that the agency should take “a more systematic approach to identifying efficiencies.” Critical Activities At Risk The OPCW continues work to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons, investigate Russia’s chemical attacks in Ukraine, and examine new allegations of use, including by Sudan — efforts Washington has supported. The IAEA monitors nuclear activities worldwide to detect proliferation, secure nuclear materials, and support nuclear power expansion, a priority the administration has strongly endorsed. The United States voted for both organizations’ 2026 budgets, enabling planned activities that delayed funding now threatens. However, at the OPCW’s October 2026 Executive Council meeting, Director-General Sabrina Dallafior warned that unpaid contributions are already affecting operations: the OPCW has fully drawn down its emergency Working Capital Fund, and core activities — including Syria deployments and technical assistance — may soon be curtailed. Damascus is actively cooperating on the elimination of the former Assad regime’s chemical weapons program, which has required sustained and extra-budgetary funding. In July 2026, the OPCW’s advisory body on financial and administrative matters described the organization’s liquidity as “precarious.” In June 2026, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi told the Board of Governors that €250 million in unpaid member-state dues was placing “significant pressure on the Agency’s liquidity situation.” The situation eased somewhat by September, but Grossi said stability still depended on full payment of assessed contributions. U.S.-supported IAEA activities at risk could include the IAEA mission to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid Russia’s ongoing war and seizure of the plant; efforts to restore monitoring of Iran’s nuclear sites after more than a year of restrictions; ongoing dismantlement of the former Syrian regime’s nuclear sites; and work to strengthen the physical protection of nuclear materials as new nuclear power programs come online. Congress Should Raise the Matter Reviews of taxpayer-funded organizations are worthwhile, but funding delays should not disrupt WMD verification and elimination work the United States has already agreed to support. Congress should urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz to clarify when dues will be paid in full — and which critical activities face impact if they are not. Congress should also press the administration to complete the review and restore full OPCW and IAEA funding before essential verification and elimination efforts are curtailed. Andrea Stricker is a research fellow and deputy director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Andrea and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow Andrea on X @StrickerNonpro. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.