Foreign Aid

Matthew Petti | 1.29.2025 5:05 PM

One of the Trump administration's first acts in office was to freeze almost all foreign aid. The administration claims the move is already bearing fruit. 

"There was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza. That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday, citing the White House's Office of Management and Budget and the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency.

The State Department made an even larger, albeit vaguer, claim. "Prevented $102 million in unjustified funding to a contractor in Gaza, including money for contraception," spokeswoman Tammy Bruce wrote in a social media thread.

Conservative media seized on the explosive claims. Literally explosive, if you ask Fox News' Jesse Watters. "Hamas inflates the condoms, straps on an explosive, and floats them into Israel. It's a dual-use technology," he........

© Reason.com