Chicago – July 30, 2025
The Trump administration is set to destroy $9.7 million worth of US-purchased contraceptives rather than deliver them to women overseas, following the dismantling of foreign assistance programs carried out by the US Agency for International Development, or USAID.
The “preliminary decision” to destroy the USAID–procured birth control was confirmed by a State Department spokesperson, who said the cost of incinerating them would be $167,000.
The contraceptives have been housed in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium. The Belgian foreign ministry said it was engaged in diplomatic talks with the US embassy to work to find alternative solutions for the supplies.
Asked about whether the contraceptives will definitely be destroyed, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday that it is a “situation that changes each day.”
“We recognize the issues, but we also, of course, are committed to policy that Americans care about,” she said at a briefing.
The contraceptives are mostly long-lasting types of birth control, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and injectables, a US congressional aide told CNN. It is not clear exactly when the supplies will be destroyed, according to the aide.
“They have to double incinerate the products because they contain high levels of hormones and they don’t want to risk leaking the byproducts out in the environment, which likely adds to the cost,” the congressional aide said. “The Trump administration is quite literally burning taxpayer money.”
