Nothing proves United States spent $50 million on condoms for Gaza

Online claims that the Trump administration uncovered a plan to spend $50 million on condoms for Gaza have been refuted by the humanitarian organization named as the beneficiary and by a former U.S. official.

The claim stems from remarks by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt at a Jan. 28 press conference, where President Donald Trump announced a temporary freeze on U.S. foreign aid pending a review of development programs. On Wednesday, Trump repeated the claim that $50 million had been allocated for purchasing condoms for Gaza.

Leavitt told reporters that the advisory group led by Elon Musk, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had "discovered that $50 million in taxpayer money was set to be spent on funding condoms for Gaza." Online posts sharing a clip of her remarks claim: "Karoline Leavitt EXPOSED that $50 million of American taxpayer money nearly funded condoms for Gaza before DOGE stopped it."

A State Department official overseeing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said the Trump administration halted a total of $100 million in humanitarian aid for International Medical Corps (IMC) programs in Gaza, including funds for contraception. The official noted that USAID has historically supported family planning in developing countries, including condom distribution, but did not provide evidence that DOGE had identified a $50 million allocation for condoms.

IMC denies funding for condoms

In a Jan. 29 statement, IMC outlined its work in Gaza and denied any involvement in condom distribution. "No U.S. government funding has been used to purchase or distribute condoms, or to provide family planning services," the statement said. IMC added that it has received more than $68 million from USAID since Oct. 7, 2023, to operate two field hospitals in Gaza, providing surgical care, malnutrition treatment, and emergency services for mothers and newborns.

Todd Bernhardt, IMC’s senior director of global communications, referred to the organization's Jan. 29 statement when asked for comment.

No record of prior funding

There is no public record from DOGE or OMB indicating a $100 million plan for IMC operations in Gaza. USAID reports from fiscal years 2007 to 2023 on global contraceptive shipments do not list any condoms sent to Gaza.

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul wrote on X on Jan. 29 that USAID did not allocate any funding for Gaza in the 2023 fiscal year.

An April 2024 report shows the U.S. provided $60.8 million in contraceptives and condoms to four regions: the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The Middle East received $45,681, while Africa accounted for 89 percent of shipments, receiving more than $54 million. The report notes that the $45,681 was a "small shipment" entirely sent to Jordan and included oral and injectable contraceptives, but not condoms.

Under the Trump administration, USAID allocated $1.1 million for contraceptives in the Middle East during the 2019 fiscal year, all of which went to Yemen. A USAID report from that year confirms the shipment included male and female condoms as well as other contraceptives.

Would $50 million buy a billion condoms?

Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International and former USAID lead for COVID-19 under the Biden administration, said on X that $50 million could purchase 1 billion condoms.

"USAID buys condoms for about $0.05 each," Konyndyk wrote Wednesday. "$50 million would buy A BILLION condoms. What’s happening here is NOT a billion condoms for Gaza. What’s happening is that DOGE’s colleagues apparently can’t read government spreadsheets."

The verdict: No evidence

There is no publicly available evidence to support claims that U.S. taxpayer dollars were set to fund $50 million in condoms for Gaza.