The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has clarified that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) did not provide $21 million in funding for voter turnout in India, directly refuting claims made in February 2025 by US President Donald Trump and the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), once led by Elon Musk.
In response to CPI(M) MP John Brittas, the MEA, referencing a July 2 communication, stated that the US embassy had clarified that USAID did not conduct any voter turnout-related activities in India. Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Rajya Sabha in a reply on August 21.
“On 2 July 2025, the U.S. Embassy shared data that it said covered USAID funding in India from 2014 to 2024, including details of implementing partners, objectives, and key accomplishments of each activity undertaken. The Embassy also maintains that ‘USAID/India did not receive or provide funding of $21 million for voter turnout in India from fiscal years 2014 to 2024, nor has it implemented any voter turnout-related activities in India,"” the reply stated. (The complete reply can be viewed here)
This Rajya Sabha reply refutes the claim made by President Trump on February 19, when he suggested that the previous Biden administration was “trying to get somebody else elected” in India by allegedly providing $21 million “for voter turnout.” The statement was also shared by BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, and had led to accusations between the BJP and Congress, with both parties accusing each other of benefiting from the alleged funding.
Malviya had also quote tweeted the post from DOGE’s X handle on February 15, which listed cancelled US grants, including one that stated, “$21M for voter turnout in India.”
The Indian Express had then fact-checked the claim reporting that this funding was for Bangladesh and not for India.
Additionally, in its annual report for 2023-24, India's Finance Ministry had stated that USAID had collaborated with the Indian government on seven projects during the year. However, none of these projects focused on voter turnout, they were related to agriculture, food security, water, sanitation, hygiene, renewable energy, disaster management, and health. (The annual report can be
viewed here)
USAID is an independent agency managing U.S. foreign aid. On July 1, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced the closure of USAID stating that its functions would be absorbed into the State Department, which would now administer U.S. foreign assistance programs.
Additionally, the Rajya Sabha reply also mentions that on July 29, 2025, the U.S. Embassy conveyed to MEA that it plans to bring all USAID operations to a close by 15 August 2025.
