Following Shaheen, Murkowski Request, Inspector General Finds Millions in Family Planning Commodities Wasted

WASHINGTON - On Thursday, June 11, 2026, a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Management Advisory was issued in response to a December 2025 request from U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The advisory found that approximately $8 million in U.S.-funded family planning commodities were wasted after being moved from climate-controlled storage and warned that an additional $1.7 million in commodities remain at risk of expiration as storage costs continue to mount.

The Management Advisory, sent to USAID principal and Chief Operating Officer Eric Ueland, warns of escalating costs to taxpayers and growing risks that millions of dollars in family planning commodities will go to waste following the Administration's decision to terminate a contract for family planning commodities despite congressional funding directives.

"The Inspector General's findings confirm that the Administration's actions have already resulted in the waste of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded commodities while forcing taxpayers to continue footing the bill for storage costs," said Ranking Member Shaheen. "After months of unsuccessful efforts to obtain basic information from USAID and the State Department, this review makes clear that viable family planning commodities remain available for distribution and that continued delays will only increase costs and the risk that additional supplies expire unused. The Administration should immediately take steps to preserve and distribute these commodities rather than continue wasting taxpayer money. In 2024, family planning and reproductive assistance helped 47.6 million women and couples receive contraceptive services, prevent 17.1 million unintended pregnancies and 5.2 million unsafe abortions and helped save the lives of 34,000 women."

"The Inspector General's report makes clear that months of indecision and mismanagement have turned a preventable problem into a costly and wasteful one," said Senator Murkowski. "Changing guidance and delays in reaching a final decision have resulted in significant storage costs, while much of the inventory is now considered unusable. Family planning and reproductive health assistance are essential to improving maternal and child health outcomes and preventing unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. While the majority of these commodities are no longer viable, every effort should be made to ensure that the remaining usable supplies are distributed to qualified partners so they can reach the communities they were intended to serve."

According to the USAID OIG Management Advisory:

• Approximately $8 million in hormonal contraceptives, injectable contraceptives and other family planning commodities became unviable after being moved out of climate-controlled storage. Despite no longer being usable, taxpayers continue to pay approximately $5,000 per month to store the unusable commodities.

• Approximately $1.7 million in family planning commodities remain viable and continue to be stored in climate-controlled facilities in Geel, Belgium at a monthly cost of roughly $19,500. Expiration dates for these commodities range from April 2028 to September 2031, but continued delays increase the risk that they will expire before they can be transferred and distributed.

• Storage and freight costs associated with the commodities exceeded $360,000 between the January 2025 stop-work order and March 2026, with monthly storage costs increasing from $17,150 to $24,550.

• USAID cannot complete closeout of the terminated award until final disposition actions are completed, creating the potential for additional costs to taxpayers, including interest on outstanding payments.

Shaheen and Murkowski requested the investigation after months of unsuccessful efforts to obtain information from USAID and the State Department regarding the disposition of the commodities. In their December 2025 letter, the Senators asked the Inspectors General to examine options for transferring or selling the commodities, determine whether products remained viable and assess the total cost to taxpayers associated with their storage and disposition.

The USAID OIG Management Advisory can be found HERE.

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