Click HERE to listen to the full interview.

Key quotes from Ranking Member Shaheen:

• On the significance of the supplies: “We know that there are almost $10 million in supplies—commodities—that would help protect and promote women’s health… Normally, U.S. family planning assistance reaches over 47 million women and couples every year. It prevents 8.1 million unintended pregnancies, 5.2 million unsafe abortions and 34,000 maternal deaths.”
• On the decision to incinerate them: “What the Trump administration is planning to do with those—even though they’re not close to their expiration date—is to incinerate all of them… It’s contrary to what I believe the values of the United States are, but it’s also just wasteful.”
• On efforts to stop the destruction: “I have introduced legislation with one of my colleagues that would prevent the administration from destroying those kinds of commodities that have already been paid for by taxpayers.”
• On the broader implications: “This is not what is in keeping with the values of the United States. It’s not what Congress supports… The President keeps saying he’s combating waste, fraud and abuse. Well, this is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse.”

You can read the full transcript of Ranking Member Shaheen’s interview below:

BBC: The U.S. government is going ahead with plans to destroy nearly $10 million worth of contraception, which was bought by the U.S. Agency for International Development for clinics around the world. It’s being stored in a warehouse in Belgium, where it was due to be sent to clinics in countries where contraception isn’t easy to access. Now USAID was dismantled this year and its projects closed down by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Pria Rai: Now the government says that the decision was taken to destroy the contraception because it could not sell it to any eligible buyers, in part because of American laws and rules that prohibit sending U.S. aid to organizations that provide abortion services, counsel people about the procedure or advocate for the right to it. Now they also say that most of the contraceptives have less than 70% of their shelf life left before they expire, and that rebranding and selling them could cost millions of dollars. Well, the U.S. Senator for New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen, has introduced legislation to stop the destruction of this contraception, and I asked her why the issue has become so important to her.

Senator Shaheen: We know that there are almost $10 million in supplies—commodities—that would help protect and promote women’s health, and what the Trump Administration is planning to do with those, even though they’re not close to their expiration date, is to incinerate all of them, when we know how many women could benefit from having access to those life-saving family planning supplies that women in crisis depend on, and it’s women in so many parts of the world. Normally, U.S. family planning assistance reaches over 47 million women and couples every year. It prevents 8.1 million unintended pregnancies, 5.2 million unsafe abortions and 34,000 maternal deaths. So, these are really important supplies that could make a huge difference for women around the world. And not only there’s that aspect of it, so I think it’s contrary to what I believe the values of the United States are. But it’s also just wasteful.

Pria Rai: You say that there is plenty of shelf life left on the supplies. We’re told, though, that most of the supply of the contraception has less than 70% of its shelf life left. So, can you give us some context to that?

Senator Shaheen: Whoever’s giving you that information is either not being honest or they just don’t know because I sent a staff person there and most of the supplies that she saw had an expiration date of [20]27 and as far out as 2031. So, this is not material in this location in Belgium that is going to expire. There is no reasonable explanation that I can say to my constituents is the reason the United States and the Trump Administration is burning up over $10 million. And, in fact, I’ve had this exact conversation with the Deputy Secretary for Management at the State Department, so he knows that that’s not factually correct.

Pria Rai: What response did you get?

Senator Shaheen: I didn’t get a response.

Pria Rai: The other issue that’s been reported is to do with difficulties in being able to sell it on or give the supplies to other countries or companies because of U.S. laws, particularly around abortions.

Senator Shaheen: These are family planning supplies. They have nothing to do with abortion. That is, again, another excuse that the Administration is using to try and provide some sort of an explanation for why they’re incinerating over $10 million in family planning supplies that women need around the world.

Pria Rai: And so, what are you trying to do to stop the destruction of the medicine and is it realistic to hope that it doesn’t happen?

Senator Shaheen: You know, I have introduced legislation with one of my colleagues that would prevent the Administration from destroying those kinds of commodities that have already been paid for by taxpayers. We’re talking to NGOs, we’re talking to other governments, trying to encourage them to talk to the Trump Administration. So, I’m hopeful that someone in the Administration will get the message that this is not what is in keeping with the values of the United States. It’s not what Congress supports. We had the House Committee just approved funding for family planning. It’s been a consistent position of the United States, and so it certainly doesn’t make sense to me, and it’s not—I mean, the President keeps saying he’s combating waste, fraud and abuse. Well, this is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse.

Pria Rai: That was Democratic U.S. Senator Shaheen there, speaking to me earlier on the issues around contraception that had been bought by USAID being destroyed.