White House press secretary Karolin Lewitt said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump blocked a $ 50 million foreign aid program for condoms in Gaza. During his first official briefing, Levitt argued that Trump’s decision to stop foreign aid stopped the “waste of taxpayer’s money”. But the claim quickly came into the fire, doubting its accuracy with experts, former authorities and support organizations.
Investigation of facts:
Levit did not provide any evidence to confirm his claim that $ 50 million for condoms in Gaza was determined. Asked for the evidence, the White House officials rederved the inquiry on the state department’s statements, which did not confirm their claim. This statement, while he referred to blocking some support programs, did not mention a $ 50 million plan for condoms.
A recent federal report shows that, under the Biden administration, the USAID did not provide any funds for condoms in the Middle East in the financial year 2021, 2022 and 2023. The report stated that the only contraceptive funding in the region was a small order sent to Jordan and the amount of about $ 46,000.
It also suspects the figure of $ 50 million, especially given that the global total for male and female condoms provided by USAID in 2023 was about $ 8.2 million, mainly for African countries.
A former senior biden officer rejected the claim as a construction, called it a “a lie” and accused the White House of spreading false information.
Despite the claims of the White House, acquaintances with American aid in Gaza have not found any mark of spending $ 50 million for condoms. Steve Fake of a non-profit organization involved in the US-funded health initiative in Gaza confirmed that his programs did not include condoms distribution.
The controversy comes amidst reversal to the White House’s decision to free the federal financing, causing confusion, legal challenges and nervous, especially about health care programs for low -income Americans. The freeze, which had the ability to stop the dollar trillions in government aid, was initially defended by Karolin Levit as part of Trump’s effort, which he curbed “waste”.
