Millions in US food and medical aid set for destruction

The U.S. Department of State said on Thursday, July 17, that it plans to destroy 500 metric tons of high-energy biscuits because they’re expired, but emphasized that the loss accounts for just 1% of its global food aid. That amount equals roughly 1 million pounds of food, enough to fill more than a dozen semi-trucks.

State Department defends destruction of food aid

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters the biscuits were intended for emergency situations where quick access to nutrition is critical.

“I think what’s important and what part of the story is here — and a lot of people don’t know this — is that we have been feeding the world’s hungry for generations,” Bruce said. “And we’ve done it because we can. The issue is if — are we doing it as efficiently as we can, and as smartly as we can?”

Bruce added that the expired food is being replaced, and rejected media reports that blamed the loss on government inaction by the United States Agency for International Development.

“When you are moving 1 million metric tons of food around the world every year, for 1% to be the factor that has to get destroyed is a remarkable record,” she emphasized.

During the briefing, one reporter pointed to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and asked whether the conflict met the criteria for an emergency, where the food could have been used instead of destroyed. In response, Bruce pointed to Hamas as the cause of the conflict with Israel, saying that regardless of the aid provided, it is up to the group to end the war and help ease the suffering in the region.

Millions of health supplies set to be discarded

The Trump administration also plans to dispose of millions of dollars worth of contraceptives and HIV prevention supplies originally intended to support health programs in developing countries. U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said Wednesday, July 16, that a politically driven search for waste, fraud and abuse is putting lives at risk.

“HIV is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. People will die because of this decision. Their lives are at risk because of President [Donald] Trump,” DeLauro said in a statement.

DeLauro pointed to a March hearing where Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Appropriations Committee that all frozen aid would be delivered and not go to waste.

Lawmakers push back, introduce new legislation

Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks, N.Y., Lois Frankel, Fla., and Grace Meng, N.Y., introduced a bill on Friday, July 18, aimed at preventing foreign aid supplies from being destroyed or wasted. The lawmakers said Trump administration officials are discarding $9 million worth of family planning materials, in addition to the 500 metric tons of emergency food assistance.

The announcement said the amount of food could have fed about 1.5 million kids for a week, or kept 27,000 people going for an entire month. As for the contraceptives, the lawmakers said the millions of doses and supplies were enough to cover the reproductive health needs of hundreds of thousands of women and families.

“This cruel and senseless destruction is a textbook example of the very waste, fraud and abuse the administration claims to oppose,” the members said.

A State Department spokesperson told The Guardian the decision to destroy the contraceptives was based on the inability to sell them to eligible buyers due to U.S. laws that restrict aid to organizations involved in abortion services, counseling or advocacy overseas. 

The spokesperson added that most of the supplies had less than 70% of their shelf life remaining and that repackaging them for resale could cost millions. However, according to The Guardian, an aide who went to the storage site said the earliest expiration date they observed was in 2027.

Foreign aid cuts deepen with new $9B rollback

Foreign aid is set to take a bigger hit. Early Friday, Congress approved legislation that pulls back about $9 billion previously allocated for international assistance.