Trump administration freezes $50 million in funding for 'condoms in Gaza'

In her first press briefing on Tuesday (local time), US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) found that about $ 50 million was used to fund 'condoms in Gaza'.

Calling the funding "preposterous", Leavitt said that the government is focused on being good stewards of American Dollars.

"DOGE and OMB also 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," she said.

DOGE Leader Elon Musk expressed his doubts on the huge amount of money.

In a post on X, he said, "My guess is that a lot of that money ended up in the pockets Hamas, not actually condoms," adding, "Yes, even in the unlikely event that the money was actually spent on condoms, we should NOT be sending US taxpayer money to buy condoms for foreigners."

In the same context, Musk shared a meme on his X handle.

In the context of Trump re-declaring the Houthis a foreign terrorist organisation, Leavitt called a reporter's query "not a bad idea." The reporter asked if there was an investigation on why did the Biden administration remove the terrorist organisation status from Houthis.

Leavitt sounded impressed and said, "Well that's a very good point. I haven't heard discussions about such an investigation but it wouldn't be a bad idea considering that the Houthis certainly are terrorists. They have launched attacks on US naval ships across this world and so I think it was a very wise move by this Administration to redesignate them as a terrorist group because they are. I think it was a foolish decision by the previous administration to do so, as for an investigation I'm not sure about that but it's not a bad idea," she said.

Donald Trump on January 22 signed an Executive Order redesignating Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a statement by the White House said.

The Executive Order sets in motion a process by which the Houthis will be designated an FTO. President Trump designated the Iranian-backed Houthis as an FTO in January 2021, as per the statement.

Within one month of taking office, the Biden administration reversed the Houthis' designation, the statement added.

Palestinians should leave Gaza: Trump

Meanwhile, a day earlier, President Donald Trump reiterated his controversial suggestion that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza and relocate to Egypt or Jordan. Despite significant opposition from Palestinian leaders, the United Nations, and US allies in the region, Trump stood by his remarks.

Addressing reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday evening, Trump was asked about his comments from the weekend, in which he spoke of "cleaning out" Gaza either temporarily or permanently. He reaffirmed his desire to find a solution that would allow Palestinians to live in a peaceful area free from conflict and violence.

Trump also mentioned plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "soon", amid speculation that Netanyahu might be the first foreign leader to visit the White House during Trump’s second term.

"The Gaza Strip has been a nightmare for many years," Trump stated. "There have been multiple civilisations in the region. The violence didn’t start now; it has been ongoing for thousands of years. People could be living in safer areas, potentially with more comfort."