US Aid Suspension: Indian media reports regarding Bangladesh ‘misleading’

Staff Reporter :

The Chief Adviser’s Office has firmly denied claims made by certain Indian media outlets regarding the impact of US President Donald Trump’s suspension of foreign aid on Bangladesh.

In a statement published on its verified Facebook page, The CA Press Wing Facts, the office characterised these reports as part of a “disinformation campaign” aimed at misleading the public.

The controversy arises from President Trump’s executive order suspending all US foreign aid for 90 days to reassess its alignment with American foreign policy objectives. This freeze applies globally, affecting all recipient countries, including India and Bangladesh.

However, some Indian newspapers, notably Anandabazar
Patrika, have singled out Bangladesh, alleging that the aid suspension places “new pressure” on the Muhammad Yunus-led government.

The Chief Adviser’s Office refuted these claims, stressing that US aid constitutes only a minor proportion of Bangladesh’s overall development budget.

Citing data from the Economic Relations Division (ERD), the government highlighted that in the 2023-24 fiscal year, Bangladesh received $181.7 million from USAID, while significantly larger amounts were provided by Japan’s JICA ($1.91 billion), the World Bank ($2.25 billion), and the Asian Development Bank ($2.15 billion). USAID’s share of Bangladesh’s $16.97 billion Annual Development Programme (ADP) accounted for just 1.07%.

While the aid suspension has impacted several public and private institutions, including the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), which has announced plans to lay off over 1,000 employees working on US-funded projects, the Bangladesh government clarified that emergency food assistance for Rohingya refugees is exempt from the freeze.

Over the past five years, Bangladesh has received more than $2.29 billion in aid from the US, with USAID contributing approximately $1.73 billion.

In 2024 alone, total US assistance amounted to $393.19 million, covering areas such as healthcare, humanitarian relief, agriculture, and disaster management.

The Chief Adviser’s Office accused certain Indian media outlets of distorting facts to create the impression that Bangladesh has been uniquely affected by the aid suspension.

The government reiterated that Bangladesh’s economy is not reliant on US funding and remains robust, supported by diverse international partnerships.