New York: As Donald Trump took over as president of the United States he immediately got to fulfilling his promises including the one to stop USAID to foreign countries. While Trump deemed the initiative of USAID a waste of US taxpayers’ money, the initiative has been a leverage the US used against other countries. The administration since then has been on a roll, calling out the Biden government over its “kickbacks” to other countries, allegedly including India.
However, a report by an Indian media house fact-checks this claim.
Trump says USAID kickback to India, stirs national row
Speaking at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Washington DC on Thursday, President Donald Trump called that a more recent USD 21 million funding to India for ‘voter turnout’ was a “kickback” scheme.
“USD 21 million for voter turnout in India. Why are we caring about India’s turnout? We have got enough problems. We want our own turnout,” said Trump.
“I would say in many cases, many of these cases, anytime you have no idea what we’re talking about, that means there’s a kickback because nobody has any idea what’s going on there,” he said.
This is the third time within a week that Trump has questioned the funding.
Earlier addressing the FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami on Thursday, he had raised similar concerns over funding to India and suggested that they were trying to “get somebody else elected”.
On Wednesday, he questioned the purpose of providing USD 21 million to India for “voter turnout” as he reiterated that the US “can hardly get in there” because of high Indian tariffs.
His remarks came days after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk disclosed that USAID contributed USD 21 million to the Election Commission to boost voter turnout in India.
Report claims USAID fund for Bangladesh
Trump’s claim stirred a row in the country, with both the BJP and opposition mudslinging each other over the recipient of the funds.
However, according to a report by The Indian Express, the funds were granted to Bangladesh and not India.
As per records of the US government, the grant of USD 21 million was sanctioned for elections for a program “Nagorik”. The program aimed at promoting civic engagement and democratic awareness in Bangladeshi universities ahead of the January 2024 elections.
The grant was sanctioned in 2022 and channelled through CEPPS, a US-based organization specializing in political programs. According to the report, there has been no USAID-funded CEPPS project in India since 2008.
As per the fact check, the only USAID funding that matches the amount claimed by the Trump government through the CEPPS for elections was in July 2022 for Amar Vote Amar (My Vote is Mine), a project in Bangladesh.
This was confirmed on social media by a USAID official during a US visit in December 2024. Additionally, multiple social media posts by Bangladesh government officials crediting the USAID program for facilitating university programs further verify the fact.
The USAID which was supposed to run until July 2025, has been halted. USD 13.4 million has already been processed.
MEA responds to USAID to India claims
India on Friday said the revelations about USAID funding for certain activities in the country are “deeply troubling” and have led to concerns about foreign interference in its internal affairs.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said relevant departments and authorities are looking into the information put out by the United States administration regarding certain US activities and funding.
“We have seen information that has been put out by the US administration regarding certain US activities and funding. These are obviously very deeply troubling,” Jaiswal said.
“This has led to concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. Relevant departments and agencies are looking into this matter. It would be premature to make a public comment at this stage, so relevant authorities are looking into it and hopefully, we can come up with an update on that subsequently,” he added.
What other USAID initiatives have been cancelled?
On February 16, DOGE listed items on which the “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent” and the list included “USD 21M for voter turnout in India.”
DOGE noted that all of the items have been cancelled.
The list also included USD 29 million for “strengthening political landscape in Bangladesh”, USD 20 million for “fiscal federalism” and USD 19 million for “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal as well as USD 47 million for “improving learning outcomes in Asia”.
Trump during the speech at the Republican Governors Association meeting also questioned USD 29 million to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh.
“Nobody knows what they mean by the political landscape. What does that mean?” he asked.
“USD 20 million for fiscal federalism and USD 19 million for biodiversity in Nepal, USD 47 million for improving learning outcomes in Asia. What the hell do I care about? We got a lot. We got enough problems and all of this is terminated. We terminated this stuff and we’re on the track. And by the way, there were so many others I could have I could read all night long, but so many were so terrible, and were actually disgusting. And I know you’re eating your dinner, so I didn’t want to do that but we’re draining the swamp,” Trump said.
The DOGE has been put in charge of overseeing workforce reduction across the government, and as part of that, Musk announced that he would shut down USAID, which is responsible for humanitarian efforts around the globe.
According to USAID officials on February 7, all USAID humanitarian work worldwide was stopped, ABC News reported.
The agency’s website was shut down before Musk’s announcement. Later, a Trump-nominated judge announced a temporary restraining order that prevents the president and DOGE from placing 2,200 employees on administrative leave.
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