Washington, D.C. [US]: The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has announced the cancellation of a $22 million funding initiative originally intended for “voter turnout in India.”
US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled:
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025
– $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision"
– $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills"
– $2.3M for "strengthening…
In a post on X, the official DOGE handle outlined a list of taxpayer-funded expenditures that have been revoked, including “$21M for voter turnout in India.”
“US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all of which have been cancelled,” the Musk-led department stated.
Reacting to the announcement, BJP leader Amit Malviya expressed concern on X, saying, “$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!”
Among other projects canceled by DOGE were $10 million allocated for “Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision” and $486 million for the “Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening,” which included $22 million for an “inclusive and participatory political process” in Moldova.
Additionally, the US had planned to allocate $29 million to “strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh” and $39 million for “fiscal federalism” and “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal—both of which were revoked.
Other terminated funding included:
- $1.5 million for “voter confidence” in Liberia
- $14 million for “social cohesion” in Mali
- $2.5 million for “inclusive democracies in Southern Africa”
- $47 million for “improving learning outcomes in Asia”
DOGE’s Role in Government Spending Cuts
The DOGE department has been making significant spending cuts over the past few weeks. The initiative, backed by the Trump administration, aims to reduce government costs but has also faced criticism for seeking access to critical government systems, including the Treasury payment system, according to a CNN report.
PM Modi’s Meeting with Elon Musk
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US, he met with Elon Musk to discuss strengthening collaboration between India and the US in areas such as innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement, saying, “The Prime Minister and Mr. Musk discussed strengthening collaboration between Indian and US entities in innovation, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development. Their discussion also touched on opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, and good governance.”
During their meeting, PM Modi emphasized India’s commitment to reform and its “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” approach. He later shared details of his discussion with Musk on X.