White House Says US Allocated $50 Million for Condoms in Gaza
Elon Musk's DOGE has played a role in identifying "preposterous waste" of American taxpayer funds, according to an announcement from the Trump administration. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump has accused his predecessor of squandering taxpayer resources.
In a recent briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump’s initiative for government efficiency has already identified instances of wasteful spending, including $50 million designated for purchasing condoms for residents of Gaza.
Shortly after taking office last week, Trump formed the Department of Government Efficiency as a temporary agency, led by tech entrepreneur and Trump supporter Elon Musk.
Leavitt reported that the DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget “found that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza,” attributing such spending to the Biden administration and labeling it “a preposterous waste of taxpayer money.”
Additionally, Leavitt noted that another $37 million was set aside for the World Health Organization [WHO], which “President Trump, with the swipe of his pen and that executive order, no longer wants the US to be a part of.”
In response, the US State Department has taken steps to freeze nearly all foreign aid programs for a 90-day period to review their alignment with the Trump administration's foreign policy goals. USAID has already notified NGOs worldwide that funding is suspended until further notice.
Andrew Miller, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, characterized Leavitt’s remarks as “outlandish,” suggesting that “it’s possible that $50 million is for sexual health or something like that, which includes gynecology and many other services, but certainly not just condoms.”
According to AFP, the US Agency for International Development allocated $60 million in the fiscal year 2023 for various contraceptive devices for distribution worldwide, not exclusively for Gaza. The Palestinian enclave houses around two million residents and has suffered extensively due to a 15-month conflict with Israel.
During the 2018 hostilities with Hamas, the Israeli military accused Palestinian militants of using balloons made from latex condoms to send incendiary and explosive devices across the border, causing “hundreds” of wildfires, as reported by the Times of Israel.
At that time, the Israel Defense Forces were puzzled about the source of the condoms, as they were not produced locally. The WHO denied supplying Gaza with contraceptives.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
In a recent briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump’s initiative for government efficiency has already identified instances of wasteful spending, including $50 million designated for purchasing condoms for residents of Gaza.
Shortly after taking office last week, Trump formed the Department of Government Efficiency as a temporary agency, led by tech entrepreneur and Trump supporter Elon Musk.
Leavitt reported that the DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget “found that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza,” attributing such spending to the Biden administration and labeling it “a preposterous waste of taxpayer money.”
Additionally, Leavitt noted that another $37 million was set aside for the World Health Organization [WHO], which “President Trump, with the swipe of his pen and that executive order, no longer wants the US to be a part of.”
In response, the US State Department has taken steps to freeze nearly all foreign aid programs for a 90-day period to review their alignment with the Trump administration's foreign policy goals. USAID has already notified NGOs worldwide that funding is suspended until further notice.
Andrew Miller, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, characterized Leavitt’s remarks as “outlandish,” suggesting that “it’s possible that $50 million is for sexual health or something like that, which includes gynecology and many other services, but certainly not just condoms.”
According to AFP, the US Agency for International Development allocated $60 million in the fiscal year 2023 for various contraceptive devices for distribution worldwide, not exclusively for Gaza. The Palestinian enclave houses around two million residents and has suffered extensively due to a 15-month conflict with Israel.
During the 2018 hostilities with Hamas, the Israeli military accused Palestinian militants of using balloons made from latex condoms to send incendiary and explosive devices across the border, causing “hundreds” of wildfires, as reported by the Times of Israel.
At that time, the Israel Defense Forces were puzzled about the source of the condoms, as they were not produced locally. The WHO denied supplying Gaza with contraceptives.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
