U. S. President Donald Trump has justified the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)'s cancellation of a $21 million fund designed to increase voter turnout in India. The decision has drawn criticism and Trump is asking why America was allocating financial support to a country with a strong economy and high trade tariffs.

"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?" Trump said after signing executive orders at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.

What is DOGE and why is it cutting funds?

DOGE, an initiative launched during the Trump administration to oversee government expenditures, announced the budget cut on Sunday.

The department cut $723 million in foreign assistance programs including a $29 million initiative to develop Bangladesh's political environment as well as a $21 million grant for voter engagement in India, as part of its wider cost-cutting efforts.

The division made clear that these reductions were meant to help get rid of what it judged to be unnecessary spending.

Reactions from Indian Officials and experts

Trump’s statement follows criticism from economist Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, who questioned USAID’s funding practices.

Sanyal posted to voice his doubts about these financial distributions: "Would love to find out who received the US$21mn spent to improve 'voter turnout in India' and the US$29mn to 'strengthening political landscape in Bangladesh'; not to mention the US$29mn spend to improve 'fiscal federalism' in Nepal. USAID is the biggest scam in human history."

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi denied that the U.S. funded voter turnout efforts in India.

Quraishi shared on social media: "The report in a section of media about an MoU by ECI in 2012 when I was CEC, for funding of certain million dollars by a US agency for raising voter turnout in India, does not have an iota of fact,"

India’s ruling party, the BJP, also raised concerns about external involvement in India’s electoral processes. The party asked who benefits from such financial help and slammed what it sees as foreign involvement in local democratic concerns.

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