DOGE scraps foreign aid projects, including $29m for BD
News Desk :
The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has scrapped a $29 million grant aimed at strengthening Bangladesh’s political landscape as part of its latest cost-cutting measures.
The decision to cancel 17 projects, including one in Bangladesh, was announced on DOGE’s official platform, X.
The DOGE post highlighted that “US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled,” listing the names of 11 countries and specific projects.
The project in Bangladesh, titled Strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh (SPL), was funded by USAID and DFID and aimed to enhance political party capacity and foster stronger relations between political parties and their constituents, while also seeking to reduce political violence.
The project was scheduled to run from 2017 to 2024, according to information on the Democracy International website.
In addition to Bangladesh, the DOGE post indicated the cancellation of a $21 million grant intended to improve voter turnout in India.
This move came just a day after US President Donald Trump met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss bilateral ties.
During a joint press briefing, Trump was asked whether USAID had a role in the 2020 US presidential election and the upcoming 2024 Indian general elections.
Trump responded, suggesting that while USAID “could have had a role,” the scale of the 2024 US elections was “too big to rig,” though he implied interference in the 2020 elections.
The decision has sparked reactions in India, with BJP Social Media Cell Head Amit Malviya questioning the motives behind such foreign funding. “USD 21 million for voter turnout? This is definitely external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party, for sure!” he posted on X.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also raised concerns in the Lok Sabha on 10 February, calling for an investigation into USAID-funded organisations operating in India, claiming that many of them were linked to opposition parties and aimed to create unrest in the country.
Alongside the India and Bangladesh projects, the DOGE post also mentioned the cancellation of a $20 million project on “fiscal federalism” and a $19 million initiative on “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal.
Other countries affected by the cuts include Mozambique, Cambodia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Moldova, Liberia, Mali, and Kosovo.