'State Dept pulls millions in funding for ‘condoms in Gaza,’ as Trump admin looks to trim spending
Hamas have used condoms as bomb-carrying balloons to terrorize Israel, reports say'
<https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-dept-pulls-millions-funding-condoms-gaza-trump-admin-looks-trim-spending>
'Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision to freeze foreign aid over
the weekend included pulling millions of dollars-worth of U.S. funding
for "condoms in Gaza," a White House official told Fox News Digital.
The revelation came as the official explained that a separate memo from
the Office of Management and Budget will temporarily pause grants, loans
and federal assistance programs pending a review into whether the
funding coincides with President Donald Trump's executive orders, such
as those related to ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the
Green New Deal, and funding nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) "that undermine the national interest."
"If the activity is not in conflict with the President’s priorities, it will continue with no issues," the White House official told Fox News Digital. "This is similar to how HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] stopped the flow of grant money to the WHO [World Health Organization] after President Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from
the organization. Or how the State Department halted several million
dollars going to condoms in Gaza this past weekend."
RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT
PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’
Gaza condom balloons
Palestinians attach an incendiary device to inflated plastic bags and
condoms to be directed and flown towards Israel, near Rafah along the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID
KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
In her first-ever briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the
OMB found "that 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. So that's what this
pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars," Leavitt told reporters. She said DOGE and OMB also found $37 million was about to be
sent to the WHO before Trump's executive order breaking ties with the
global health body.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department on Tuesday seeking additional information and was later referred to an X thread by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Bruce listed several examples of how the pause in foreign assistance has allowed the State Department to prevent "unjustified and non-emergency" spending, including on condoms. The funding freeze "prevented $102
million in unjustified funding to a contractor in Gaza, including money
for contraception," the spokesperson said.
"Our test is simple: Does [it] make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous? Some aid programs fail this test. Others may have merit, but
are not emergency spending and can be reviewed during the 90-day pause," Bruce wrote.
"Urgent needs are being met. Blanket waivers are in place for emergency
food and other emergency humanitarian assistance. And a waiver process
exists for items not covered by pre-existing waivers," she added.
"BOTTOM LINE: We will not allow the bureaucracy to exploit a crisis and
waste taxpayer dollars. We are protecting American taxpayers,
safeguarding America’s national security, and ensuring actual
life-saving humanitarian aid continues."
The Jerusalem Post reported in 2020 that scores of condoms were being
used to create IED-carrying balloons that winds would carry into
southern Israel, raising alarm on schoolyards, farmlands and highways.
At the time, the Post reported that the improvised explosive devices – floated into Israel via inflated contraceptives – burned thousands of hectares of land and caused "millions of shekels of damage." It's not
clear if the practice continues.
Just two days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which involved Hamas terrorists brutally raping some of the approximately 1,200 people killed
in southern Israel and hundreds of others brought back into Gaza as
hostages, a global NGO known as the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) released a statement regarding the resulting war and escalating violence.
The NGO claimed that any blockade of aid shipments into Gaza would
infringe on their "enormous gains made in life-saving sexual and
reproductive healthcare in this region."
"Palestinians are systematically denied sexual and reproductive
healthcare and rights," the executive director of a corresponding NGO,
the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA), said
at the time. "Our health system has been repeatedly targeted and
depleted by the Israeli occupation, and the more it disintegrates, the
more it will hinder the full realization of these rights for women and girls."
On Sunday, Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through
the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) for review.
terrorists attack IEDs to condom balloons
Palestinians prepare incendiary devices before being attached to
inflated condoms and plastic bags, to be directed and flown towards
Israel, near Rafah along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on
Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
The move came in response to Trump's executive order, "Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid," issued last week directing a
sweeping 90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed through
the State Department.
The State Department said Sunday that Rubio was initiating a review of
"all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and
consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda."
"President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer
going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American people. Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative.
The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars
overseas," a State Department spokesperson said Sunday.
"The mandate from the American people was clear – we must refocus on American national interests," the statement added. "The Department and
USAID take their role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very seriously.
The implementation of this Executive Order and the Secretary’s direction furthers that mission. As Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said,
‘Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we
pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions: Does
it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make
America more prosperous?’"
bomb-carrying condom balloons
The wind propels refrigerant gas-filled condoms attached to incendiary devices into Israeli territory after being released by a group of masked Palestinians near the Israel-Gaza border. (Mohammed Talatene/picture
alliance via Getty Images)
Rubio had specifically exempted only emergency food programs and
military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance.
On Monday, at least 56 senior USAID officials were placed on leave
pending an investigation into alleged efforts to thwart Trump's orders,
the Associated Press reported, citing a current official and a former official at USAID.
An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by the AP said
new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified "several actions
within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people." "As a
result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative
leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete
our analysis of these actions," Gray wrote.
The senior agency officials put on leave were experienced employees who
had served in multiple administrations, including Trump's, the former
USAID official said'
It's nice to see our tax dollars going to such useful projects as condoms in Gaza.
What a waste of money.
'State Dept pulls millions in funding for ‘condoms in Gaza,’ as Trump admin looks to trim spending
Hamas have used condoms as bomb-carrying balloons to terrorize Israel, reports say'
On 2025-01-29, John Smyth <smythlejon2@hotmail.com> wrote:
'State Dept pulls millions in funding for ‘condoms in Gaza,’ as
Trump admin looks to trim spending
Hamas have used condoms as bomb-carrying balloons to terrorize
Israel, reports say'
<https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-dept-pulls-millions-funding-con >>doms-gaza-trump-admin-looks-trim-spending>
'Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision to freeze foreign aid over
the weekend included pulling millions of dollars-worth of U.S.
funding for "condoms in Gaza," a White House official told Fox News
Digital.
The revelation came as the official explained that a separate memo
from the Office of Management and Budget will temporarily pause
grants, loans and federal assistance programs pending a review into
whether the funding coincides with President Donald Trump's executive
orders, such as those related to ending diversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI), the Green New Deal, and funding nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) "that undermine the national interest."
"If the activity is not in conflict with the President’s
priorities, it will continue with no issues," the White House
official told Fox News Digital. "This is similar to how HHS
[Department of Health and Human Services] stopped the flow of grant
money to the WHO [World Health Organization] after President Trump
announced the U.S. withdrawal from the organization. Or how the State
Department halted several million dollars going to condoms in Gaza
this past weekend."
RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT
PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’
Gaza condom balloons
Palestinians attach an incendiary device to inflated plastic bags and
condoms to be directed and flown towards Israel, near Rafah along the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID
KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
In her first-ever briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary
Karoline Leavitt said that the Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE) and the OMB found "that 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. So that's what this
pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars," Leavitt
told reporters. She said DOGE and OMB also found $37 million was
about to be sent to the WHO before Trump's executive order breaking
ties with the global health body.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department on Tuesday
seeking additional information and was later referred to an X thread
by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Bruce listed several examples of how the pause in foreign assistance
has allowed the State Department to prevent "unjustified and
non-emergency" spending, including on condoms. The funding freeze
"prevented $102 million in unjustified funding to a contractor in
Gaza, including money for contraception," the spokesperson said.
"Our test is simple: Does [it] make America safer, stronger, and more
prosperous? Some aid programs fail this test. Others may have merit,
but are not emergency spending and can be reviewed during the 90-day
pause," Bruce wrote.
"Urgent needs are being met. Blanket waivers are in place for
emergency food and other emergency humanitarian assistance. And a
waiver process exists for items not covered by pre-existing waivers,"
she added. "BOTTOM LINE: We will not allow the bureaucracy to exploit
a crisis and waste taxpayer dollars. We are protecting American
taxpayers, safeguarding America’s national security, and ensuring
actual life-saving humanitarian aid continues."
The Jerusalem Post reported in 2020 that scores of condoms were being
used to create IED-carrying balloons that winds would carry into
southern Israel, raising alarm on schoolyards, farmlands and
highways.
At the time, the Post reported that the improvised explosive devices
– floated into Israel via inflated contraceptives – burned
thousands of hectares of land and caused "millions of shekels of
damage." It's not clear if the practice continues.
Just two days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which involved Hamas
terrorists brutally raping some of the approximately 1,200 people
killed in southern Israel and hundreds of others brought back into
Gaza as hostages, a global NGO known as the International Planned
Parenthood Federation (IPPF) released a statement regarding the
resulting war and escalating violence.
The NGO claimed that any blockade of aid shipments into Gaza would
infringe on their "enormous gains made in life-saving sexual and
reproductive healthcare in this region."
"Palestinians are systematically denied sexual and reproductive
healthcare and rights," the executive director of a corresponding
NGO, the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association
(PFPPA), said at the time. "Our health system has been repeatedly
targeted and depleted by the Israeli occupation, and the more it
disintegrates, the more it will hinder the full realization of these
rights for women and girls."
On Sunday, Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or
through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) for review.
terrorists attack IEDs to condom balloons
Palestinians prepare incendiary devices before being attached to
inflated condoms and plastic bags, to be directed and flown towards
Israel, near Rafah along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel
on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
The move came in response to Trump's executive order, "Reevaluating
and Realigning United States Foreign Aid," issued last week directing
a sweeping 90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed
through the State Department.
The State Department said Sunday that Rubio was initiating a review
of "all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and
consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda."
"President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer
going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American
people. Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of
hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a
moral imperative. The Secretary is proud to protect America’s
investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend
foreign assistance dollars overseas," a State Department spokesperson
said Sunday.
"The mandate from the American people was clear – we must refocus
on American national interests," the statement added. "The Department
and USAID take their role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very
seriously. The implementation of this Executive Order and the
Secretary’s direction furthers that mission. As Secretary of State
Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we
fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to
three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make
America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’"
bomb-carrying condom balloons
The wind propels refrigerant gas-filled condoms attached to
incendiary devices into Israeli territory after being released by a
group of masked Palestinians near the Israel-Gaza border. (Mohammed
Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Rubio had specifically exempted only emergency food programs and
military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign
assistance.
On Monday, at least 56 senior USAID officials were placed on leave
pending an investigation into alleged efforts to thwart Trump's
orders, the Associated Press reported, citing a current official and
a former official at USAID.
An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by the AP said
new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified "several actions
within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the
President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American
people." "As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice
while we complete our analysis of these actions," Gray wrote.
The senior agency officials put on leave were experienced employees
who had served in multiple administrations, including Trump's, the
former USAID official said'
It's nice to see our tax dollars going to such useful projects as
condoms in Gaza. What a waste of money.
pothead <pothead@snakebite.com> wrote in
news:vndike$2efao$2@dont-email.me:
On 2025-01-29, John Smyth <smythlejon2@hotmail.com> wrote:
'State Dept pulls millions in funding for ‘condoms in Gaza,’ as
Trump admin looks to trim spending
Hamas have used condoms as bomb-carrying balloons to terrorize
Israel, reports say'
<https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-dept-pulls-millions-funding-con
doms-gaza-trump-admin-looks-trim-spending>
'Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision to freeze foreign aid over
the weekend included pulling millions of dollars-worth of U.S.
funding for "condoms in Gaza," a White House official told Fox News
Digital.
The revelation came as the official explained that a separate memo
from the Office of Management and Budget will temporarily pause
grants, loans and federal assistance programs pending a review into
whether the funding coincides with President Donald Trump's executive
orders, such as those related to ending diversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI), the Green New Deal, and funding nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) "that undermine the national interest."
"If the activity is not in conflict with the President’s
priorities, it will continue with no issues," the White House
official told Fox News Digital. "This is similar to how HHS
[Department of Health and Human Services] stopped the flow of grant
money to the WHO [World Health Organization] after President Trump
announced the U.S. withdrawal from the organization. Or how the State
Department halted several million dollars going to condoms in Gaza
this past weekend."
RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT
PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’
Gaza condom balloons
Palestinians attach an incendiary device to inflated plastic bags and
condoms to be directed and flown towards Israel, near Rafah along the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID
KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
In her first-ever briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary
Karoline Leavitt said that the Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE) and the OMB found "that 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. So that's what this
pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars," Leavitt
told reporters. She said DOGE and OMB also found $37 million was
about to be sent to the WHO before Trump's executive order breaking
ties with the global health body.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department on Tuesday
seeking additional information and was later referred to an X thread
by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Bruce listed several examples of how the pause in foreign assistance
has allowed the State Department to prevent "unjustified and
non-emergency" spending, including on condoms. The funding freeze
"prevented $102 million in unjustified funding to a contractor in
Gaza, including money for contraception," the spokesperson said.
"Our test is simple: Does [it] make America safer, stronger, and more
prosperous? Some aid programs fail this test. Others may have merit,
but are not emergency spending and can be reviewed during the 90-day
pause," Bruce wrote.
"Urgent needs are being met. Blanket waivers are in place for
emergency food and other emergency humanitarian assistance. And a
waiver process exists for items not covered by pre-existing waivers,"
she added. "BOTTOM LINE: We will not allow the bureaucracy to exploit
a crisis and waste taxpayer dollars. We are protecting American
taxpayers, safeguarding America’s national security, and ensuring
actual life-saving humanitarian aid continues."
The Jerusalem Post reported in 2020 that scores of condoms were being
used to create IED-carrying balloons that winds would carry into
southern Israel, raising alarm on schoolyards, farmlands and
highways.
At the time, the Post reported that the improvised explosive devices
– floated into Israel via inflated contraceptives – burned
thousands of hectares of land and caused "millions of shekels of
damage." It's not clear if the practice continues.
Just two days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which involved Hamas
terrorists brutally raping some of the approximately 1,200 people
killed in southern Israel and hundreds of others brought back into
Gaza as hostages, a global NGO known as the International Planned
Parenthood Federation (IPPF) released a statement regarding the
resulting war and escalating violence.
The NGO claimed that any blockade of aid shipments into Gaza would
infringe on their "enormous gains made in life-saving sexual and
reproductive healthcare in this region."
"Palestinians are systematically denied sexual and reproductive
healthcare and rights," the executive director of a corresponding
NGO, the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association
(PFPPA), said at the time. "Our health system has been repeatedly
targeted and depleted by the Israeli occupation, and the more it
disintegrates, the more it will hinder the full realization of these
rights for women and girls."
On Sunday, Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or
through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) for review.
terrorists attack IEDs to condom balloons
Palestinians prepare incendiary devices before being attached to
inflated condoms and plastic bags, to be directed and flown towards
Israel, near Rafah along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel
on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
The move came in response to Trump's executive order, "Reevaluating
and Realigning United States Foreign Aid," issued last week directing
a sweeping 90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed
through the State Department.
The State Department said Sunday that Rubio was initiating a review
of "all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and
consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda."
"President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer
going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American
people. Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of
hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a
moral imperative. The Secretary is proud to protect America’s
investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend
foreign assistance dollars overseas," a State Department spokesperson
said Sunday.
"The mandate from the American people was clear – we must refocus
on American national interests," the statement added. "The Department
and USAID take their role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very
seriously. The implementation of this Executive Order and the
Secretary’s direction furthers that mission. As Secretary of State
Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we
fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to
three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make
America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’"
bomb-carrying condom balloons
The wind propels refrigerant gas-filled condoms attached to
incendiary devices into Israeli territory after being released by a
group of masked Palestinians near the Israel-Gaza border. (Mohammed
Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Rubio had specifically exempted only emergency food programs and
military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign
assistance.
On Monday, at least 56 senior USAID officials were placed on leave
pending an investigation into alleged efforts to thwart Trump's
orders, the Associated Press reported, citing a current official and
a former official at USAID.
An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by the AP said
new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified "several actions
within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the
President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American
people." "As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice
while we complete our analysis of these actions," Gray wrote.
The senior agency officials put on leave were experienced employees
who had served in multiple administrations, including Trump's, the
former USAID official said'
It's nice to see our tax dollars going to such useful projects as
condoms in Gaza. What a waste of money.
Defenders of the Trump Wall
complain about wasting money.
Oh, the irony................
pothead wrote:
It's nice to see our tax dollars going to such useful projects as condoms in Gaza.
What a waste of money.
You are as gullible as ever.
In article <vndkob$2evsn$2@dont-email.me>, chine.bleu@www.yahoo.com
says...
pothead wrote:
It's nice to see our tax dollars going to such useful projects as condoms in Gaza.
What a waste of money.
You are as gullible as ever.
Of course you would approve of such a stupid idea.
TL;DR: $46K sent to Jordan is a far cry from $50M in condoms to
Gaza; its only a mistake of 1000x in size, plus of basic
geography, so choose your poison: gross incompetence, or
deliberately lying to Americans.
Fair enough.
When I posted my reply multiple news agencies were reporting the story.
If it's false, so be it.
Let's move on to the next piece of government waste.
On 1/29/25 2:02 PM, Mitchell Holman wrote:
pothead <pothead@snakebite.com> wrote in
news:vndike$2efao$2@dont-email.me:
On 2025-01-29, John Smyth <smythlejon2@hotmail.com> wrote:
'State Dept pulls millions in funding for ‘condoms in Gaza,’ as
Trump admin looks to trim spending
Hamas have used condoms as bomb-carrying balloons to terrorize
Israel, reports say'
<https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-dept-pulls-millions-funding-con >>>> doms-gaza-trump-admin-looks-trim-spending>
'Secretary of State Marco Rubio's decision to freeze foreign aid over
the weekend included pulling millions of dollars-worth of U.S.
funding for "condoms in Gaza," a White House official told Fox News
Digital.
The revelation came as the official explained that a separate memo
from the Office of Management and Budget will temporarily pause
grants, loans and federal assistance programs pending a review into
whether the funding coincides with President Donald Trump's executive
orders, such as those related to ending diversity, equity and
inclusion (DEI), the Green New Deal, and funding nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) "that undermine the national interest."
"If the activity is not in conflict with the President’s
priorities, it will continue with no issues," the White House
official told Fox News Digital. "This is similar to how HHS
[Department of Health and Human Services] stopped the flow of grant
money to the WHO [World Health Organization] after President Trump
announcErik O'Neilled the U.S. withdrawal from the organization. Or how the State
Department halted several million dollars going to condoms in Gaza
this past weekend."
RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT
PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’
Gaza condom balloons
Palestinians attach an incendiary device to inflated plastic bags and
condoms to be directed and flown towards Israel, near Rafah along the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID
KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
In her first-ever briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary
Karoline Leavitt said that the Department of Government Efficiency
(DOGE) and the OMB found "that 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. So that's what this
pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars," Leavitt
told reporters. She said DOGE and OMB also found $37 million was
about to be sent to the WHO before Trump's executive order breaking
ties with the global health body.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department on Tuesday
seeking additional information and was later referred to an X thread
by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Bruce listed several examples of how the pause in foreign assistance
has allowed the State Department to prevent "unjustified and
non-emergency" spending, including on condoms. The funding freeze
"prevented $102 million in unjustified funding to a contractor in
Gaza, including money for contraception," the spokesperson said.
"Our test is simple: Does [it] make America safer, stronger, and more
prosperous? Some aid programs fail this test. Others may have merit,
but are not emergency spending and can be reviewed during the 90-day
pause," Bruce wrote.
"Urgent needs are being met. Blanket waivers are in place for
emergency food and other emergency humanitarian assistance. And a
waiver process exists for items not covered by pre-existing waivers,"
she added. "BOTTOM LINE: We will not allow the bureaucracy to exploit
a crisis and waste taxpayer dollars. We are protecting American
taxpayers, safeguarding America’s national security, and ensuring
actual life-saving humanitarian aid continues."
The Jerusalem Post reported in 2020 that scores of condoms were being
used to create IED-carrying balloons that winds would carry into
southern Israel, raising alarm on schoolyards, farmlands and
highways.
At the time, the Post reported that the improvised explosive devices
– floated into Israel via inflated contraceptives – burned
thousands of hectares of land and caused "millions of shekels of
damage." It's not clear if the practice continues.
Just two days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which involved Hamas
terrorists brutally raping some of the approximately 1,200 people
killed in southern Israel and hundreds of others brought back into
Gaza as hostages, a global NGO known as the International Planned
Parenthood Federation (IPPF) released a statement regarding the
resulting war and escalating violence.
The NGO claimed that any blockade of aid shipments into Gaza would
infringe on their "enormous gains made in life-saving sexual and
reproductive healthcare in this region."
"Palestinians are systematically denied sexual and reproductive
healthcare and rights," the executive director of a corresponding
NGO, the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association
(PFPPA), said at the time. "Our health system has been repeatedly
targeted and depleted by the Israeli occupation, and the more it
disintegrates, the more it will hinder the full realization of these
rights for women and girls."
On Sunday, Rubio paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or
through the State Department and U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) for review.
terrorists attack IEDs to condom balloons
Palestinians prepare incendiary devices before being attached to
inflated condoms and plastic bags, to be directed and flown towards
Israel, near Rafah along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel
on Aug. 21, 2020. (SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
The move came in response to Trump's executive order, "Reevaluating
and Realigning United States Foreign Aid," issued last week directing
a sweeping 90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed
through the State Department.
The State Department said Sunday that Rubio was initiating a review
of "all foreign assistance programs to ensure they are efficient and
consistent with U.S. foreign policy under the America First agenda."
"President Trump stated clearly that the United States is no longer
going to blindly dole out money with no return for the American
people. Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of
hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a
moral imperative. The Secretary is proud to protect America’s
investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend
foreign assistance dollars overseas," a State Department spokesperson
said Sunday.
"The mandate from the American people was clear – we must refocus
on American national interests," the statement added. "The Department
and USAID take their role as stewards of taxpayer dollars very
seriously. The implementation of this Executive Order and the
Secretary’s direction furthers that mission. As Secretary of State
Marco Rubio has said, ‘Every dollar we spend, every program we
fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to
three simple questions: Does it make America safer? Does it make
America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?’"
bomb-carrying condom balloons
The wind propels refrigerant gas-filled condoms attached to
incendiary devices into Israeli territory after being released by a
group of masked Palestinians near the Israel-Gaza border. (Mohammed
Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Rubio had specifically exempted only emergency food programs and
military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign
assistance.
On Monday, at least 56 senior USAID officials were placed on leave
pending an investigation into alleged efforts to thwart Trump's
orders, the Associated Press reported, citing a current official and
a former official at USAID.
An internal USAID notice sent late Monday and obtained by the AP said
new acting administrator Jason Gray had identified "several actions
within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the
President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American
people." "As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice
while we complete our analysis of these actions," Gray wrote.
The senior agency officials put on leave were experienced employees
who had served in multiple administrations, including Trump's, the
former USAID official said'
It's nice to see our tax dollars going to such useful projects as
condoms in Gaza. What a waste of money.
Defenders of the Trump Wall
complain about wasting money.
Oh, the irony................
Pothead needs to learn to fact-check before posting.
Because:
"White House walks back claim $50 million worth of condoms were being
sent to Gaza"
<https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/karoline-leavitt-condoms-gaza-doge-b2688322.html>
Wednesday 29 January 2025 14:44 EST
-hh wrote:
TL;DR: $46K sent to Jordan is a far cry from $50M in condoms to
Gaza; its only a mistake of 1000x in size, plus of basic
geography, so choose your poison: gross incompetence, or
deliberately lying to Americans.
In one of the Transformer movies, they drive from Egypt to Jordan
and Petra is next to the pyramids which are not near any city.
The movie does this by correctly assessing Americans knowledge of
geography.
-hh wrote:
TL;DR: $46K sent to Jordan is a far cry from $50M in condoms to
Gaza; its only a mistake of 1000x in size, plus of basic
geography, so choose your poison: gross incompetence, or
deliberately lying to Americans.
In one of the Transformer movies, they drive from Egypt to Jordan
and Petra is next to the pyramids which are not near any city.
The movie does this by correctly assessing Americans knowledge of
geography.
On 29 Jan 2025, Siri Cruise <chine.bleu@www.yahoo.com> posted some news:vneaei$2j58t$1@dont-email.me:
-hh wrote:
TL;DR: $46K sent to Jordan is a far cry from $50M in condoms to
Gaza; its only a mistake of 1000x in size, plus of basic
geography, so choose your poison: gross incompetence, or
deliberately lying to Americans.
In one of the Transformer movies, they drive from Egypt to Jordan
and Petra is next to the pyramids which are not near any city.
The movie does this by correctly assessing Americans knowledge of
geography.
Spielberg and the Writer's Guild knowledge of geography.
That ain't sayin' much.
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