(NewsNation) — The Trump administration has given the green light for nearly 500 metric tons of emergency food to be destroyed after allowing the aid to reach its expiration date, according to a report by the Atlantic.
The high-energy biscuits were supposed to be sent to starving children in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The food supply is reportedly large enough to feed approximately 1.5 million children for a week.
Initially purchased by the U.S. Agency for International Development under the Biden administration, the taxpayer-funded food — worth $800,000 — will soon be incinerated after sitting for months in a warehouse in Dubai. The Atlantic reported the incineration of the food will cost taxpayers an additional $130,000.
The destruction of the food follows the July 1 shutdown of USAID, as part of ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to drastically reduce federal funding of global aid programs.
In a statement to CNN, a State Department spokesperson cited the food’s impending expiration date as the reason for its destruction.
“The expired lot was acquired under the last administration, and purchased as a contingency for needs beyond projections, resulting in the inability to deplete before expiration,” the spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, this risk is part of always being ready to respond to life-saving humanitarian needs with consumable commodities in remote locations around the world.”