There is no evidence that the US planned to send $ 50 million to “Condoms in Gaza” – Mother Jones

In his first press briefing as press secretary in the White House, Karoline Leavitt falsely claimed Trump stopped $ 50 million of condoms from being delivered to Gaza. Michael Brochstein/Zuma Press Wire

To her first Press secretary Karoline Leavitt in the White House on Tuesday claimed the Trump administration had paused $ 50 million in funding for “Condoms in Gaza.” Leavitt called the money an “inappropriate waste” and the break an example of how the new administration protects “Tax Dollar.” The next day, President Donald Trump repeated the point.

But there is no evidence that supporting the claim that the United States would send $ 50 million in assistance to “Condoms in Gaza.”

In response to a request for comment told an official in the state department Mother Jones on condition of anonymity that the “Trump administration stopped two $ 50 million buckets with ‘help’ to Gaza via International Medical Corp (SIC).” The official said some of this money would have gone to family planning “including emergency prevention; Sexual health care including the prevention and handling of sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and teenager’s sexual and reproductive health. “The official added that” condoms have traditionally always been used for family planning in developing countries of USAID. ”

In order to summarize: the funding was going to Gaza to help International Medical Corps; Some unspecified part of it was for family planning and birth control; Condoms are “traditionally always” part of it. It’s radically different from what Leavitt said Tuesday. And that doesn’t seem to be true either. International Medical Corps said in one Press release“No US government financing was used to acquire or distribute condoms or to provide family planning services.”

Also, it is not correct that condoms are “traditionally always” distributed to support US government’s reproductive health programs, especially in the Middle East. ONE report From USAID that covers the financial year 2023 said the agency has not delivered any financing For condoms in the Middle East in recent years. (Seam Cnn and Guardian Have made it clear, the only contraceptive financing to the region they were less than $ 50,000 that went to Jordan for oral and injectable birth control.)

Leavitt’s claim also leads to inappropriate conclusions. Glenn Kessler from Washington Post showed that the United States have Used 3.3 cents per Condom on average in recent years. In order for Leavitt to be right, USAID would have planned to send more than 1.5 billion condoms to Gaza. It works for more than 700 condoms per day. Person there.

Although there is no evidence that the United States was paying for condoms in Gaza, there would be good reasons to do so. “Despite the absurdity of this particular allegation, contraceptive access * is an important health issue in crisis settings such as Gaza,” Jeremy Konyndyk, President of Refugees International, wrote On X. “Unplanned pregnancies in the context of hunger and displacement can be hugely challenging and carry health risks.”

More importantly, the financing break Leavitt proclaimed at the press conference could have devastating consequences for Gazans in desperate need for medical care.

International Medical Corps said, among other things, that the money helps maintain one of only three newborn intensive care units operational in Gaza and supports the delivery of 20 babies a day. The group added about its work in Gaza:

International Medical Corps has received $ 68,078,508 from USAID to support our Operations in Gaza since October 7, 2023. With the generous support of USAID and the American people, we have used these resources to operate two major field hospitals currently Located in Central Gaza – one in Deir Al Balah and one in Al Zawaida – offering a total overall capacity of more than 250 beds, including 20 on emergency and 170 in the surgical department. These facilities provide 24/7 life -saving medical treatment to approx. 33,000 civilians a month in a very dangerous and uncertain environment where the health infrastructure has been decimated.

If USAID Stop-work order held in place, the group has said that it will only be able to continue to provide life -saving help in Gaza for about a week.

On Fox News on Tuesday, host Jesse Watters retroactively claimed another reason for the financing stop: “They make condom bombs.” Trump repeated this claim Wednesday and said “Condoms to Hamas” had to be stopped because “they have used them as a method of making bombs.” (Previous year. Israeli media sources have reported that militants in Gaza allegedly used condoms to make improvised burning units.)

It makes it even less likely that the United States planned to send condoms to Gaza. In fact, the Trump administration uses a composite prerequisite for a large condom cost of blocking life-saving medical work.