Washington DC [US], February 19 : Following the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) decision to cancel USD 21 million fund marked for 'Voter Turnout in India', President Donald Trump said that India, with its growing economy and high taxation rates, did not need such financial support.
While he acknowledged his respect for India and its Prime Minister, Trump criticised the idea of funding voter turnout initiatives in the country.
While signing executive orders at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday (local time), Trump said, "Why are we giving USD 21 million to India? They have a lot more money. They are one of the highest taxing countries in the world in terms of us; we can hardly get in there because their tariffs are so high. I have a lot of respect for India and their Prime Minister, but giving USD 21 million for voter turnout?"
On February 16, DOGE posted a list of cancelled US taxpayer-funded initiatives with a mention of USD 21 million earmarked for "voter turnout in India."
The DOGE, led by Elon Musk announced cancelling a USD 22 million funding intended for "voter turnout in India" on Saturday.
In a post on X, DOGE listed the number of spendings by the US taxpayer that have been cancelled, including "USD 21M for voter turnout in India."
"US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled," the Musk-led department announced.
Bhartiya Janta Party's Amit Malviya took to his X to react to the announcement. "$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India's electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!" his post read.
Other funding cancelled by the US department included USD 10 million for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision."
"USD 486M to the 'Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,' including USD 22M for an 'inclusive and participatory political process' in Moldova and USD 21M for voter turnout in India," DOGE said.
A USD 29 million intended for "strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh" and a USD 39 million for "fiscal federalism" and "biodiversity conservation" in Nepal was also cancelled.
Similarly, USD 1.5 million for "voter confidence" in Liberia, USD 14 million for "social cohesion" in Mali, USD 2.5 million for "inclusive democracies in Southern Africa," and USD 47 million for "improving learning outcomes in Asia" were also cancelled by DOGE.
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