Overview
- US officials confirmed that about 500 tonnes of high-energy biscuits bound for malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan expired in a Dubai warehouse in July and were incinerated.
- State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said destroying expired food aid is routine and rejected allegations of government negligence.
- At a Senate Foreign Relations hearing, Michael Rigas attributed the losses to USAID’s July 1 merger into the State Department and pledged a full review.
- Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Tim Kaine criticized the incident as evidence of chaotic budget cuts and demanded transparency before further international aid reductions.
- Aid experts warn that dismantling USAID’s six-decade operations and slashing foreign assistance budgets could undermine US leadership in global health and food security.