Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s determination to freeze overseas help over the weekend included pulling thousands and thousands of dollars-worth of US funding for “condoms in Gaza,” a White Home official advised Fox Information Digital.
The revelation got here because the official defined {that a} separate memo from the Workplace of Administration and Price range will briefly pause grants, loans and federal help applications pending a evaluate into whether or not the funding coincides with President Donald Trump’s government orders, similar to these associated to ending range, fairness and inclusion (DEI), the Inexperienced New Deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) “that undermine the nationwide curiosity.”
“If the exercise shouldn’t be in battle with the President’s priorities, it would proceed with no points,” the White Home official advised Fox Information Digital. “That is just like how HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] stopped the move of grant cash to the WHO [World Health Organization] after President Trump introduced the US withdrawal from the group. Or how the State Division halted a number of million {dollars} going to condoms in Gaza this previous weekend.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to the State Division on Tuesday looking for extra info.
In her first-ever briefing Tuesday, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned that the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) and the OBM discovered “that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer {dollars} that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.”
“That could be a preposterous waste of taxpayer cash. In order that’s what this pause is targeted on, being good stewards of tax {dollars},” Leavitt advised reporters. She mentioned DOGE and OBM additionally discovered $37 million was about to be despatched to the WHO earlier than Trump’s government order breaking ties with the worldwide well being physique.
The Jerusalem Publish reported in 2020 that scores of condoms had been getting used to create IED-carrying balloons that winds would carry into southern Israel, elevating alarm on schoolyards, farmlands and highways.
On the time, the Publish reported that the improvised explosive gadgets – floated into Israel through inflated contraceptives – burned hundreds of hectares of land and precipitated “thousands and thousands of shekels of harm.” It’s not clear if the apply continues.
Simply two days after the Oct. 7, 2023, assaults, which concerned Hamas terrorists brutally raping a number of the roughly 1,200 individuals killed in southern Israel and lots of of others introduced again into Gaza as hostages, a worldwide NGO often known as the Worldwide Deliberate Parenthood Federation (IPPF) launched a press release concerning the ensuing struggle and escalating violence.
The NGO claimed that any blockade of help shipments into Gaza would infringe on their “monumental positive aspects made in life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare on this area.”
“Palestinians are systematically denied sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights,” the chief director of a corresponding NGO, the Palestinian Household Planning and Safety Affiliation (PFPPA), mentioned on the time. “Our well being system has been repeatedly focused and depleted by the Israeli occupation, and the extra it disintegrates, the extra it would hinder the complete realization of those rights for girls and ladies.”
On Sunday, Rubio paused all US overseas help funded by or via the State Division and US Company for Worldwide Improvement (USAID) for evaluate.
The transfer got here in response to Trump’s government order, “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Overseas Help,” issued final week directing a sweeping 90-day pause on most US overseas help disbursed via the State Division.
The State Division mentioned Sunday that Rubio was initiating a evaluate of “all overseas help applications to make sure they’re environment friendly and in keeping with US overseas coverage below the America First agenda.”
“President Trump said clearly that the US is not going to blindly dole out cash with no return for the American individuals. Reviewing and realigning overseas help on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not only the suitable factor to do, it’s a ethical crucial. The Secretary is proud to guard America’s funding with a deliberate and even handed evaluate of how we spend overseas help {dollars} abroad,” a State Division spokesperson mentioned Sunday.
“The mandate from the American individuals was clear – we should refocus on American nationwide pursuits,” the assertion added. “The Division and USAID take their position as stewards of taxpayer {dollars} very critically. The implementation of this Government Order and the Secretary’s course furthers that mission. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has mentioned, ‘Each greenback we spend, each program we fund, and each coverage we pursue should be justified with the reply to a few easy questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America extra affluent?’”
Rubio had particularly exempted solely emergency meals applications and army help to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on overseas help.
On Monday, a minimum of 56 senior USAID officers had been positioned on go away pending an investigation into alleged efforts to thwart Trump’s orders, the Related Press reported, citing a present official and a former official at USAID.
An inner USAID discover despatched late Monday and obtained by the AP mentioned new performing administrator Jason Grey had recognized “a number of actions inside USAID that look like designed to avoid the President’s Government Orders and the mandate from the American individuals.” “Because of this, we’ve got positioned a lot of USAID staff on administrative go away with full pay and advantages till additional discover whereas we full our evaluation of those actions,” Grey wrote.
The senior company officers placed on go away had been skilled staff who had served in a number of administrations, together with Trump’s, the previous USAID official mentioned.
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