The move to revoke the funding follows DOGE’s announcement on February 16, in which the department declared the cancellation of financial support previously allocated to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) for voter turnout efforts in India.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) decision to cancel a 21-million-dollar grant intended to support voter turnout in India. Questioning the necessity of such financial aid, Trump cited India’s economic growth and high tariffs as reasons why US taxpayer money should not be allocated for this purpose.

“Twenty-one million for voter turnout in India — why are we giving them this money?” Trump remarked during a press conference. “India has a lot of money. They’re one of the highest-taxing countries in the world. It’s hard for us to get in there because their tariffs are so high.”

He further added: “I have a lot of respect for India, I have a lot of respect for the Prime Minister. He just left two days ago. But we’re giving 21 million dollar for voter turnout in India — what about voter turnout here? We’ve done that, I guess. We did 500 million dollar—it’s called the lock boxes.”

The move to revoke the funding follows DOGE’s announcement on February 16, in which the department declared the cancellation of financial support previously allocated to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) for voter turnout efforts in India. The decision has sparked political controversy in India, with BJP leaders Amit Malviya and Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticizing the opposition Congress for what they labelled as “external interference in India’s electoral process.”

DOGE, headed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, confirmed the cancellation in a post on X. The department outlined a list of suspended expenditures, including 486 million dollars previously designated for CEPPS. The breakdown included $22 million for promoting “inclusive and participatory political processes” in Moldova and the now-revoked 21 million dollars earmarked for increasing voter turnout in India.

The funding cut is part of a broader rollback of US international aid initiatives, with DOGE targeting projects deemed unnecessary or inefficient. Musk’s department announced the removal of multiple initiatives, ranging from voter confidence efforts in Liberia to biodiversity conservation in Nepal, totalling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Critics of the decision argue that cutting off funding to support democratic participation in India undermines US foreign policy’s traditional emphasis on promoting democracy abroad. Voter turnout initiatives are typically seen as a nonpartisan effort to enhance political engagement and inclusivity.

Musk, however, remains steadfast in his commitment to curbing what he sees as unnecessary expenditures of US taxpayer money. “Our job at DOGE is to ensure every dollar is spent wisely,” he had said via a post on X.