When Donald Trump and Elon Musk were decimating the United States Agency for International Development, they assured the American public that the agency was riddled with bureaucracy and that any aid it managed to distribute was ultimately slowed down by corruption and misplaced priorities. Since then, however, the Trump administration has been wasting millions through the winding down of the agency.
Just recently, a report revealed that the Trump administration was scheduled to burn food that had been stored for people in need of aid in the Middle East due to the State Department dragging its feet with distribution. Now, it has been revealed that a similar situation is unfolding with contraceptives purchased by USAID, at a cost to American taxpayers estimated at $9.7 million, and Belgium is working overtime to prevent that waste.
The United Nations has repeatedly pointed out that contraception is one of the best tools for preventing poverty in developing regions around the world, improving both maternal and child health while empowering women. Although these ties are not always easy to directly connect, such conditions play a significant role in preventing mass emigration from these nations. Providing access to contraception would even align with a more humane, long-term solution for Trump, ensuring immigration to the US is not driven by humanitarian crises such as abject poverty. But Trump’s relationship with the UN is currently in dire straits.
The contraceptive implants and pills are currently being stored in the Belgian city of Geel. Multiple sources have confirmed to various media outlets, including NBC, that these contraceptives are now scheduled for destruction.
The current plan is to ship the contraceptive materials from the warehouses in Geel to a medical waste facility in France, where they will be incinerated at an additional cost of $160,000. The Belgian foreign ministry has reportedly tried to reach US authorities in an attempt to find alternative solutions that would prevent this destruction. The ministry released a statement to Reuters, saying, “Despite these efforts, and with full respect for our partners, no viable alternative could be secured. Nevertheless, Belgium continues to actively seek solutions to avoid this regrettable outcome. Sexual and reproductive health must not be subject to ideological constraints.”
A nonprofit organization that attempted to buy the contraceptives and distribute them without USAID branding was denied the opportunity. Sarah Shaw, an executive at the organization, stated that it has now been revealed that the goal at the reformed agency was never simply to save money — a point already made clear when reporters discovered that Elon Musk’s onslaught against the agency was likely motivated by factors beyond cost-cutting. This time, Shaw concluded that the Trump administration was primarily driven by its ideological opposition to family planning.
Estimates suggest that transporting the contraceptives from Belgium to France will require dozens of trucks and take at least two weeks to complete. US lawmakers have introduced two bills to prevent the destruction, but experts warn it is likely too late to block the action. The contraceptives are expected to begin expiring in 2027.
