US President Donald Trump has criticised the allocation of $21 million by the United States to promote voter turnout in India. Speaking at a rally in Florida, Trump questioned the necessity of such funding, suggesting that India possesses sufficient financial resources to manage its own electoral processes.
#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, “Why are we giving $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… pic.twitter.com/W26OEGEejT
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2025
He emphasised that American taxpayer money should prioritise domestic issues, especially given the challenges faced within the US.
On February 16, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, announced on X that a $21 million US taxpayer-funded initiative to boost voter turnout in India had been scrapped.
The allocation was part of a broader $486 million package designated for the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening.” DOGE’s tweet listed multiple international expenditures, with India among the recipients.
After the DOGE move, Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s National Information & Technology Department, raised concerns about foreign interference in India’s electoral process, citing a 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
In a post on X, Malviya highlighted IFES’s connections to George Soros’s Open Society Foundation and its primary funding from USAID and the US State Department. He also criticised the Congress-led UPA government for permitting foreign involvement in India’s election systems.
