Trump freezes $50m Gaza condom aid approved by Biden
On Tuesday, the White House defended its decision to freeze US overseas assistance, citing a $50 million condom distribution program in the Gaza Strip.
However, the White House did not provide evidence to support this claim.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the expenditure was uncovered during Trump’s first week in office, with help from the new Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
“The Department of Government Efficiency and the budget office discovered that $50 million in taxpayer money was about to be spent on condoms in Gaza,” Leavitt told reporters at her first press briefing. “This is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money.”
She did not offer additional details, and it was not immediately possible to verify the information independently. Condoms are generally inexpensive, costing less than a dollar each in the US and even less when bought in bulk. Gaza’s population, which numbers just over two million, has been severely affected by the ongoing 15-month war with Israel.
Leavitt also mentioned that the US was about to allocate $37 million to the World Health Organization before Trump decided to withdraw from the UN body.
Soon after taking office, Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on foreign aid, pledging to review assistance to ensure it aligns with his administration’s policies, which oppose abortion, transgender rights, and diversity programs.
In a memo on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that nearly all aid disbursements were frozen, except for emergency food and military aid to Egypt and Israel.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the freeze, given that the US has long been the world’s largest provider of development aid in absolute terms.
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