Government records and contractor figures reviewed by officials show that the United States is spending almost $25,000 each month to keep contraceptives in storage in Belgium that were originally procured for use in lower-income countries. The stockpile, valued at about $9.7 million, has been held in the Belgian warehouse since January of last year, when U.S. foreign aid activities were first frozen, according to a report prepared by the Office of the Inspector General for the now-dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development.
Between January 2025 and March of this year, the combined expenses for storing and transporting the contraceptives totaled $360,667, the report states. The document adds that storage continues to cost $24,550 each month. The cost figures were provided by Chemonics, the contractor that managed procurement and delivery for the U.S. government under the contract that was ultimately cancelled.
When the delivery contract was cancelled, Chemonics attempted to find alternatives, first seeking a buyer and then exploring donation channels. Sources familiar with those efforts said the process faltered in part because U.S. authorities did not provide clear guidance on the future of the stock. Chemonics offered to donate the usable portion to a recipient in Uganda at a projected additional cost of $239,000, the report notes, but that proposal was not acted upon.
Reproductive rights organisations have urged U.S. officials to release the supplies for use in countries with acute need. "It is indefensible that at a time of acute global need, millions of dollars worth of lifesaving family planning supplies has been left to rot for nearly a whole year, while U.S. taxpayers face an ever-mounting storage bill," said Beth Schlachter, senior director of external relations and advocacy at MSI Reproductive Choices. "Waste on this scale is simply unconscionable," she added.
The report outlines a sequence of official actions that contributed to the present situation. In June of last year, U.S. officials ordered the stock moved with instructions to destroy it. During that operation, 20 of the 24 truckloads - representing roughly $8 million of the contraceptives - became unusable because they were not kept under safe or temperature-controlled conditions, according to the inspector general's account. Transportation of the remaining $1.7 million of stock was paused following those events.
In September, the U.S. rescinded the prior instruction to destroy the goods. Since that reversal, however, the government has not provided further direction on how to proceed with the remaining inventory. The report records that the Belgian government had offered to take custody of or purchase the supplies through a humanitarian organization, and that the last known contact between U.S. officials and Belgian counterparts was about three to four months ago.
The report also records that the U.S. government did not respond to requests for comment. Chemonics, the contractor named in the report as the source of the cost figures and the party that managed procurement and delivery, did not respond to questions about the status of the stock or the donation proposal.
The inspector general's findings focus on concrete numbers and steps taken - including the valuation of the inventory at $9.7 million, the loss of about $8 million worth of product during the destruction order and the paused transportation of the remaining $1.7 million. They also document continuing monthly charges for storage and transport and an unexecuted donation offer that would have entailed $239,000 in additional costs for shipping and handling.
At present, most of the original procurement remains either unusable or held in limbo in Belgium, while monthly storage expenses accrue. The report leaves open the question of what administrative steps will next be taken to resolve the continued costs and the disposition of the remaining usable supplies.
Key timeline and figures:
- Stock valued at approximately $9.7 million has been in a Belgian warehouse since January of last year.
- Between January 2025 and March of this year, storage and transport costs totaled $360,667.
- Storage continues at a rate of $24,550 per month.
- During a June operation ordered for destruction, 20 of 24 truckloads, roughly $8 million of product, became unusable; $1.7 million remained but its transport was paused.
- Chemonics proposed donating the usable $1.7 million of stock to a recipient in Uganda at an additional cost of $239,000; that proposal was not executed.