Musk's DOGE USAID claims spark controversy in India
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DOGE announced that a $21 million USAID grant to boost "voter turnout in India" was redacted as part of Trump's efforts to diminish government spending.
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President Donald Trump shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 (AP)
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is being accused of setting off a political row in India on Monday after claiming that the United States government has been sending millions of dollars through USAID to "support the Indian elections," The Guardian reported.
DOGE announced that a $21 million USAID grant to boost "voter turnout in India" was redacted as part of Trump's efforts to diminish government spending. However, documents obtained by the Indian Express newspaper found that no funds were distributed in India, echoing USAID staff denials of such a program.
US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025
- $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
- $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
- $2.3M for "strengthening…
Records instead show that USAID allocated $21 million for a non-profit organization advocating political engagement in Bangladesh, which has been witnessing a crackdown on opposition in the country.
“What do we need to spend $21m for voter turnout in India for?" Trump told crowds at an event in Miami, "Wow, $21m. I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected,” he added.
He echoed the claim in another event, saying that $21 million was going to his "friend Prime Minister Modi in India for voter turnout," and again at the Conservative Political Action Conference, claiming that the real number was “$18m for helping India with its elections,” calling it a "kickback scheme."
Trump's remarks had an immense impact on India, with ministers and members of PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the US President's claims are proof of international actors working against their government and interfering in India's affairs.
The head of the BJP's IT cell Amit Malviya indicated that Trump "has confirmed that there was indeed an attempt to influence the Indian election and install someone other than Prime Minister Modi," while Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar expressed his shock that there were attempts at manipulating "the purity of our electoral system."
Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of Modi's economic advisory council, condemned USAID, calling it the "biggest scam in human history," while India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the claims were "concerning", and the department’s spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told a weekly news briefing they were “deeply troubling”.
The controversy has also raised concerns among members of India’s civil society, who fear that the allegations against USAID could be used as a pretext for the BJP government to further restrict their funding and operations.
In response, India’s opposition Congress party accused the BJP of amplifying “fake news from America” while staying silent as Trump and Musk insulted India.
DOGE cracks down on USAID
Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency has made USAID its target, in the next wave of culling federal agencies in a bid to reduce government spending, an effort led by billionaire Elon Musk.
The current US administration officially commenced mass layoffs at USAID. "All USAID direct hire personnel, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and/or specially designated programs, will be placed on administrative leave globally," the agency stated on Sunday.
The international development institution noted that it is "beginning to implement a Reduction-in-Force that will affect approximately 1,600 USAID personnel with duty stations in the United States."
Prior to this, US Congressman Scott Perry launched serious allegations against the USAID, accusing it of inadvertently funding terrorist organizations.
"Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash, funds ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps."
Perry condemned the allocation of $136 million for the construction of 120 schools in Pakistan, affirming that there is a lack of evidence these schools were built.
Media outlets that covered Cuba were affected by the crackdown on USAID, after a State Department directive ceased financial support for Cuban-focused media organizations that operate outside of Havan's control, at a total sum of 2.3 million dollars.
