The White Home on Tuesday justified a sweeping freeze in US abroad help by citing a $50 million condom distribution program within the Gaza Strip, with out providing proof to again up the declare.
White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the expenditure was found in Trump’s first week together with by the brand new Division of Authorities Effectivity led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk’s initiative and the price range workplace “discovered that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer {dollars} that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza,” Leavitt instructed her debut press convention.
“That could be a preposterous waste of taxpayer cash,” she stated.
She didn’t present extra particulars and it was not instantly doable to confirm the account independently.
Condoms usually value lower than one greenback every in the USA and far much less in bulk. Simply over two million folks dwell in Gaza, practically all of which has been closely broken within the 15-month conflict with Israel.
Leavitt additionally stated that the USA was about to dispense $37 million to the World Well being Group earlier than Trump introduced a pullout from the UN physique.
Shortly after taking workplace, Trump ordered a 90-day freeze in international help.
He has vowed a overview to make sure that assist conforms with insurance policies of his administration, which opposes abortion, transgender rights and variety applications.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo Friday stated that the USA was freezing practically all assist disbursement aside from emergency meals and army assist to Egypt and Israel.
UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres voiced concern concerning the assist freeze by the USA, lengthy the world’s largest supplier of improvement help in absolute greenback phrases.
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