One of former President Joe Biden’s top allies took some heat on Thursday when he tried to blame President Donald Trump’s “attempt to gut foreign aid” for what he claimed was $300 million worth of medication that was about to expire.
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), who defended Biden’s obviously lagging mental acuity right up until he bowed out of the 2024 presidential race, posted a photo on X and claimed that it showed proof that Trump’s attempts to dial back foreign aid were already putting people at risk.
“$300 million worth of medications are sitting on pallets about to expire thanks to Trump’s effort to gut foreign aid. These drugs would’ve prevented people from going blind from a preventable tropical disease—Donald Trump would rather waste them in an East African warehouse,” Coons posted.
$300 million worth of medications are sitting on pallets about to expire thanks to Trump's effort to gut foreign aid. These drugs would've prevented people from going blind from a preventable tropical disease—Donald Trump would rather waste them in an East African warehouse. pic.twitter.com/SDj5qp5TTq
— Senator Chris Coons (@ChrisCoons) February 12, 2025
But as people soon noted, there were problems with his claim. The photo he had shared clearly showed two large stacks of boxes and one smaller box in the foreground. The box in the foreground was not clearly labeled as far as contents — but it did say that the contents had been “sterilized by gamma radiation,” which suggests that box contains medical supplies like alcohol swabs or hypodermic needles. According to a clear label on the side, the contents of that box will not expire until 2027.
The larger stack of boxes also had a clear label stating that the boxes in that stack contained the antibiotic Zithromax. In addition to treating a variety of bacterial infections from ear infections and tonsillitis to pneumonia and some STIs, the New England Journal of Medicine reported in 2018 that when given to children under the age of five, it could have a significant impact on reducing childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The label on that stack of boxes said that the medication contained there would expire in 2026.
“The box in the photo says exp. 1/2027,” one posted.
The box in the photo says exp. 1/2027 https://t.co/Z2fuXjAxx7 pic.twitter.com/jcOjfOpsfH
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) February 13, 2025
“You know we can see the actual expirations on the boxes, right?” another asked.
You know we can see the actual expirations on the boxes, right? https://t.co/ZQg4uiewAr
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) February 13, 2025
