White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has announced that the Trump administration has frozen a $50 million federal disbursement intended for “condoms in Gaza.”
According to Leavitt, the Office of Management and Budget and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency determined that $50 million in taxpayer dollars was about to be spent on this initiative. She stated to reporters, “That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. This pause is focused on being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
President Donald Trump has initiated a widespread freeze on foreign aid and domestic grant programs, which the White House claims is an effort to align federal spending with the administration’s agenda, under the DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget.
The U.S. Agency for International Development operates a family planning and reproductive health program in 41 countries but does not list Gaza or Israel among the recipients of that aid.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advises travelers to “Israel, including the West Bank and Gaza,” to bring “latex condoms” with them to “prevent illness or injury.”
In 2020, it was reported that Hamas used condoms inflated with helium to launch firebombs into Israel.
During the first White House press briefing of the new administration, Leavitt noted that Trump intends to uphold his decision to remove the security details for former officials facing threats from Iran. This statement came after Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) requested that the president “revisit” that decision on Monday.
Leavitt remarked, “He does not believe American taxpayers should fund security details for individuals who have served in the government for the rest of their lives. There’s nothing stopping these individuals from obtaining private security.”
When asked if the Trump administration plans to investigate Biden administration officials who provided funding to the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, or who removed Yemen’s Houthi rebels from the State Department’s list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Leavitt stated that this was not under discussion. She added, “It wouldn’t be a bad idea, considering that the Houthis certainly are terrorists.”