[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 180 (Wednesday, October 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S7826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                             WOMEN'S HEALTH

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, on September 11, 2025, the spokeswoman for 
the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, confirmed to the 
New York Times that $9.7 million worth of contraceptives being stored 
in a warehouse in Belgium had been destroyed at the direction of the 
Trump administration. These contraceptives were intended for people in 
poor countries with high rates of morbidity and mortality for pregnant 
women, infants, and children.
  Just 1 day later, the spokeswoman rescinded her previous statement, 
claiming that there had been a ``miscommunication'' and that the 
contraceptives in question had not yet been incinerated. This was 
confirmed by Belgian officials who visited the warehouse where the 
materials were being stored.
  Although Belgium prohibits the destruction of reusable medical 
devices, aid workers worry that the Trump administration will run down 
the clock until these contraceptives expire. Most of the products 
expire in 2028 or 2029, with some expiring as early as April 2027. 
Destination countries often have rules for importing medical supplies 
based on remaining shelf life. The administration may exploit these 
rules to stop their distribution.
  Destroying these contraceptives would have cost American taxpayers an 
estimated $167,000, on top of the $9.7 million already spent to 
purchase them. At the time of this incident, three African countries 
had reportedly already run out of contraceptives completely, and 13 
more were on the verge of running out due to President Trump's and Elon 
Musk's reckless destruction of USAID and cuts to foreign aid.
  Seeking to destroy safe, lifesaving contraceptives is emblematic of 
the Trump administration's approach to foreign aid. Destroying these 
birth control products would exacerbate an already dire problem and 
would lead to more unwanted and high-risk pregnancies, unsafe 
abortions, and higher maternal mortality rates. The administration's 
other drastic cuts to foreign aid have already reduced or eliminated 
food aid for many families, forcing parents to remove their young 
daughters from school and into child marriage, increasing sexual 
violence and the risk of pregnancy-related deaths.
  This administration's ideologically driven disregard for global 
public health worldwide is appalling. Contraceptives are legal and 
widely used in America. They prevent unwanted pregnancies and 
abortions. They enable women to choose when to have a child and grow 
their families, by doing so increasing the chances their children will 
survive beyond the age of 2.
  I urge the White House to put the lives of women and children above 
politics by allowing these contraceptives, purchased with funds agreed 
to by a large majority of congressional Republicans and Democrats, to 
be made available to those who need them most. Women and girls in 
dozens of the poorest countries are depending on these commodities to 
take control of their lives. Destroying them is antithetical to 
America's long-held values and reputation of safeguarding public health 
around the world.

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