Summary

Summary

The Trump administration will let tens of millions of dollars’ worth of contraception paid for by taxpayers expire rather than distribute it as foreign aid. The contraception, representing a value of at least $10 million and possibly as much as $40 million, was earmarked for women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa—where its loss could result in more than a million unintended pregnancies and thousands of maternal deaths. Multiple humanitarian organizations have offered to buy the birth control, but the administration has refused.

On August 29, 2025, the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information about the administration’s decision to let the contraception—and millions in taxpayer money—go to waste. The administration has not responded to the request. The Center is now suing.

Background

Background

On the first day of Trump’s second term, his administration announced a freeze on all foreign aid. It then dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), terminating its international family planning programs. This left tens of millions’ worth of contraception intended for sub-Saharan Africa stranded in the Belgian region of Flanders. The administration initially intended to incinerate the contraception—paid for by taxpayer money—at an additional cost of $167,000 to American taxpayers. But local Flemish law bans the destruction of reusable medical devices, so the administration is now letting the products expire.

In November, Belgian authorities reported the discovery of 20 additional truckloads of contraceptives, some of which has already become unusable due to improper storage. This could increase the total value of the wasted products to $40 million. Multiple global organizations have offered to buy the contraception, which the administration has refused. It has incorrectly conflated birth control (which prevents pregnancy) with abortion (which ends it), alluding to the Global Gag Rule and the Helms Amendment—policies banning the use of foreign assistance funds for abortion—as reasons for its refusal.

The U.S. was previously the world’s largest donor to international family planning efforts, and one of the largest global purchasers and distributors of contraception. In 2024 alone, U.S. family planning aid prevented 17.1 million unintended pregnancies and 34,000 maternal deaths. Each $10 million decrease in funding is expected to increase unintended pregnancies by 362,000; unplanned births by 161,000; unsafe abortions by 110,000; and maternal deaths by 718.

About the case

About the case

The Center filed a FOIA request on August 29, 2025, seeking State Department records that would provide information on three issues:

• The decision to destroy tens of millions in contraception, resulting in a massive waste of taxpayer money.
• Any alternatives it considered, what these alternatives would cost taxpayers, and the rationale for selecting destruction over these alternatives.  
• Political pressure from within the Trump administration or external anti-rights organizations.  

The State Department did not provide the records within the legally required response window. On December 15, the Center sued the State Department for the requested records.

This is one of 24 FOIA requests that the Center has made to the Trump administration so far. The administration has not produced records for any of them.

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