Former US President Donald Trump criticised the allocation of $21 million in US aid to India for boosting voter turnout, questioning its necessity given India’s high tariffs on American goods.
Trump made the remarks after Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) disclosed that USAID had contributed the amount to India’s Election Commission. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago while signing executive orders, Trump said, “Why are we giving $21 million to India? They got a lot of money there. 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.”
The DOGE report, released on February 16, listed other allocations, including $29 million for strengthening Bangladesh’s political landscape, $20 million for fiscal federalism, and $19 million for biodiversity conservation in Nepal, alongside $47 million for improving learning outcomes in Asia. Musk’s department later announced that all these expenditures had been cancelled.
Trump, while acknowledging his “respect for India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” questioned the spending priorities, saying, “We’re giving $21 million for voter turnout in India. What about voter turnout here?”
Ahead of Modi’s February 13 meeting with Trump at the White House, the US President had also introduced reciprocal tariffs, aiming to counter non-reciprocal trade deals. Trump described India as “just about the highest tariffed nation anywhere in the world,” adding that its strong trade barriers made it difficult for American businesses to sell in India.
In a separate move, Musk, as head of DOGE, announced the closure of USAID, which handles US humanitarian efforts worldwide. USAID officials confirmed that all operations had ceased by February 7, and the agency’s website was shut down before Musk’s announcement. However, a Trump-nominated judge later issued a temporary restraining order preventing the suspension of 2,200 employees.
