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On July 18, 2025, the U.S. State Department confirmed plans to destroy nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food aid, specifically high-energy biscuits originally intended for famine-stricken regions. The rations, valued at $800,000 and funded by U.S. taxpayers, had been stored in a Dubai warehouse since late 2023 and are now set to be incinerated due to expiration.
š„£ Background and Intended Use
- The biscuits were designed for rapid nutritional support in disaster zones, particularly where cooking is impossible due to lack of clean water, fuel, or infrastructure.
- Originally procured under the Biden administration for contingency use in regions like Afghanistan and Pakistan, the food could have sustained 1.5 million children for one week.
ā ļø Causes of Waste
- Staffing and funding cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Trump administration reportedly hindered distribution logistics.
- The destruction will incur an additional cost of $130,000, bringing the total taxpayer burden to nearly $1 million.
- Aid workers and former USAID officials criticized the move as unprecedented, arguing that the food could have been redirected to crisis zones such as Gaza.
š£ļø Official Response
- The State Department defended the decision, stating that distributing expired food poses safety risks and that similar actions have occurred under previous administrations.
- Critics, including Senator Jeanne Shaheen, urged the administration to transfer aid to third-party organizations before expiration to avoid future waste.
š Broader Implications
- The incident has intensified scrutiny of the Trump administrationās foreign aid policies, including the dismantling of USAID and proposed rescissions of billions in humanitarian funding.
- With 319 million people globally facing acute hunger, the destruction of viable aid has sparked bipartisan concern and public backlash.
You can read more from ABC News and The Atlanticās original report
