The Trump administration is preparing to destroy hundreds of metric tons of emergency food supplies—enough to meet the nutritional needs of every child in Gaza facing acute food insecurity for a full week—due to bureaucratic gridlock following the dismantling of USAID by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
According to The Atlantic, high-energy biscuits intended specifically for children under 5 have been held in storage for months without distribution. Now, with their expiration just days away, the food is set to be discarded. Two sources familiar with the situation confirmed the volume of food could have fed roughly 1.5 million children for one week.
The problem stems from the Trump administration’s decision earlier this year to dissolve USAID. Its responsibilities were shifted to the State Department, where, under new leadership, all humanitarian aid—including food and financial assistance—now requires direct authorization. Multiple sources told The Atlantic they submitted requests to distribute the food but received no response.
To make matters worse, an official order to destroy the aid was issued in May—just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Congress that he would ensure the food was delivered.
Critics have slammed the administration, noting that the stockpile—estimated at nearly 500 metric tons—could have also been used to support famine-stricken populations in places like Sudan. In Gaza alone, the UN reports that 500,000 people are currently facing starvation, including 71,000 children under five suffering from acute malnutrition.
Over the past six weeks, hundreds of Palestinians have died while attempting to obtain humanitarian aid from distribution sites, the UN reports. At least 31 were killed by Israeli forces on Saturday while trying to access aid at a U.S.-backed distribution center.
Originally, the food supplies were meant for Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, the State Department cut off assistance to Afghanistan and Yemen earlier this year, citing concerns that aid might be seized by terrorist groups, according to NPR. That justification was not extended to Pakistan, which also had its aid halted.
The looming destruction of the food supply has prompted outrage among humanitarian groups and lawmakers who say the administration’s actions reflect a disturbing prioritization of political optics over human lives.
