The White House’s claim that it halted $50 million worth of condoms to Gazans has come under scrutiny after experts shared insight and a previous report was unearthed.
In her first White House press conference, press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the Department of Government Efficiency had identified $50 million for condoms in Gaza, a claim repeated by President Donald Trump.
“DOGE and [Office of Management and Budget] also found that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza,” Leavitt said. “That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money.”
An administrative official speaking with the Independent on Wednesday stood by the claim, saying it was part of a larger humanitarian shipment for Gaza.
What evidence exists?
The claim quickly drew skeptics. The most recent, in-depth report from the U.S. Agency for International Development, covering fiscal 2023, reported $60.8 million spent globally for contraceptives of all types, including injectable contraceptives, contraceptive implants, male condoms, female condoms, intrauterine devices, and others. Injectibles and implants made up two-thirds of contraceptives purchased, while male condoms stood at 12%. In total, 137,790,000 male condoms were purchased.
The overwhelming majority of contraceptives were shipped to Africa. Notably, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan received a substantial shipment of male condoms and other contraceptives, representing a 293% increase in delivered value from the year before — totaling $1.8 million.
The Middle East received its first contraceptive shipment since fiscal 2019 in fiscal 2023, but this consisted entirely of injectables and oral contraceptives, went entirely to Jordan, and was valued at just $45,680.
Experts respond
In-depth data isn’t yet available for fiscal 2024, but those familiar with the matter doubted Leavitt’s claims.
“We have asked around, and no one is sure what this is referring to,” Steve Fake, a spokesman for the aid nonprofit group Anera, which has partnered with USAID on a $50 million health initiative in Gaza, told CNN.
The program has “definitely no purchase of condoms,” and Fake added, “Our whole program is $50 [million] and represents a significant portion of total US aid going to Gaza.”
Matthew Kavanagh, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy and Politics, told the outlet that he hasn’t found any evidence of Leavitt’s claim.
“It seems clear to me there was no $50 million in condoms going to Gaza. That is, at best, a mischaracterization,” he said.
Andrew Miller, deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs under former President Joe Biden, said the claim was a “feverish dream,” but suggested it could contain a grain of truth.
“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 said.
Data analyst DataRepublican on X suggested that the confusion may have been regarding an $83.5 million grant for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, aimed at combating HIV and providing sexual health services for people in Gaza, a province in Mozambique.
Jeremy Konyndyk, president of the advocacy organization Refugees International and a USAID official during the Biden and Obama administrations, gave a less charitable interpretation in a post on X, pointing out that the USAID acquires condoms for about 5 cents a piece, meaning it would be procuring almost 1 billion condoms for the enclave of roughly 2 million.
“What’s going is here is NOT a billion condoms for Gaza. What’s going on is that the bros at DOGE apparently can’t read govt spreadsheets,” he said.
The White House’s claim came soon after a report from the Washington Free Beacon claiming that the Biden administration had privately spent $15 million on condoms and other contraceptives in Afghanistan, citing a nonpublic congressional funding notice.
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The notice noted that “some coordination” with the Taliban was “necessary for programmatic purposes.”
USAID has been shipping condoms and other contraceptives to less-industrialized countries since the 1960s.
