In her first press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration halted a $50 million disbursement for “condoms in Gaza.”
The Office of Management and Budget and the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “found that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza,” Leavitt told reporters. “That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. That’s what this pause is focused on: being good stewards of tax dollars.”
The announcement came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided to freeze foreign aid over the weekend. As a result, the Office of Management and Budget will temporarily pause grants, loans, and federal assistance programs pending a review into whether the funding coincides with President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.” The policy targets financing of programs that advance an agenda of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Green New Deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) “that undermine the national interest.”
Rubio had specifically exempted emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported that at least 56 senior USAID officials were placed on leave pending an investigation into alleged efforts to thwart Trump’s orders, citing current and former officials at USAID.
An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by the AP said new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified “several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people.” “As a result, we have placed several USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions,” Gray wrote.
“If the activity is not in conflict with the President’s priorities, it will continue with no issues,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “This is similar to how HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] stopped the flow of grant money to the WHO [World Health Organization] after President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the organization. Or how the State Department halted several million dollars going to condoms in Gaza this past weekend.”
Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, tweeted, “My guess is that a lot of that money ended up in the pockets Hamas, not actually condoms.”
He also posted, “ Yes, even in the unlikely event that the money was actually spent on condoms, we should NOT be sending US taxpayer money to buy condoms for foreigners.”
The Jerusalem Post reported in 2020 that Hamas used enormous numbers of condoms filled with helium to float IEDs (Improvised Explosive and Incendiary Devices) over southern Israel. The tactic proved successful, destroying thousands of acres of land and causing millions of shekels of damage. Israel permits the helium to enter Gaza as it is intended for medical use.
David Friedman, the former US ambassador to Israel, noted the absurdity of the cost.
“The retail online cost of a single condom is $2,” Friedman tweeted. “A $50M shipment means the Biden Administration had approved the delivery of at least 25 million condoms (assuming that the Biden team couldn’t get a discount for such a large purchase) to a population of just 2 million — more than half of whom are women and children. So that’s at least 25 condoms per male adult! “
“Any idiot would know these condoms were not earmarked for their intended use. Indeed, Hamas wanted to fill them with helium to carry bombs over the border. It’s absolutely insane that Biden’s staff approved this.”
Andrew Miller, who served as deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs under former US president Joe Biden, called the claim “outlandish.”
“It’s possible that $50 million is put aside for sexual health or something of that nature, which would include gynecology and many other services, but definitely not condoms alone,” he told The Times of Israel.
Indeed, several organizations provide mass amounts of condoms to Gaza. A report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that UNRWA is the biggest provider for birth control in Gaza (61%).
The U.S. Agency for International Development runs a family planning and reproductive health program in 41 countries but does not list Gaza or Israel as a recipient of that aid.
It is interesting to note that two days after Palestinian Hamas carried out a horrific massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7th 2023, the International Planned Parenthood Federation decried the inability of Gazans to access “sexual and reproductive healthcare” after one of their facilities was destroyed.
“We are now facing a dire situation,” the organization said. “Basic sexual and reproductive health care commodities, like condoms, are banned in Gaza.”
