Key facts
- The U.S. is spending $24,550 monthly to store contraceptives in Belgium.
- Approximately $9.7 million worth of contraceptives purchased by USAID are stuck in Belgium.
- Storage and freight costs have totaled $360,667 between January 2025 and March 2026.
- About $8 million worth of hormonal and injectable contraceptives are no longer usable after being moved from climate-controlled storage.
- An additional $1.7 million in family planning commodities remain viable but are approaching expiration.
- USAID leadership has not provided instructions on plans for the remaining usable products.
- Nonprofit groups were rejected when offering to take control of usable contraceptives.
The U.S. is incurring significant monthly storage costs for millions of dollars worth of contraceptives that are now largely unusable and stuck in Belgium, according to a report from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s inspector general. The stock, valued at approximately $9.7 million, includes hormonal and injectable contraceptives that have been warehoused since January of the previous year when U.S. foreign aid programs were halted.
Storing and transporting these contraceptives has cost $360,667 between January 2025 and March 2026, with ongoing monthly storage expenses amounting to $24,550. These figures were provided by Chemonics, the contractor responsible for the procurement and delivery of the supplies for the U.S. government.
Reproductive rights organizations have criticized the situation, calling the waste of lifesaving supplies "indefensible" and "unconscionable" given the acute global need. Efforts by Chemonics to find a buyer or facilitate a donation for the stock faltered partly due to a lack of response from the U.S. government regarding its future.
Last summer, an order to move and destroy the contraceptives resulted in approximately $8 million worth becoming unusable due to improper storage and lack of temperature control. In September, the U.S. reversed this destruction order. Despite a proposal from Chemonics to donate the remaining usable $1.7 million stock to Uganda for $239,000, the U.S. has not yet provided further instructions. Expiration dates for the remaining viable supply range from April 2028 to September 2031.