Two Democrats within the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) have written to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in search of details of the alleged $21 million spent by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on “voter turnout” in India. They additionally ask for details on how the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) cancelled this system and communicated the cancellation to stakeholders.
The letter, dated March 13, 2025, refers to the “$21 million for voter turnout in India”– an alleged program cancelled by DOGE, led by billionaire, and Trump administration adviser, Elon Musk. Mr. Trump had repeatedly cited the alleged program for example wasteful overseas help. Mr. Trump’s claims had led to an uproar in Parliament with the BJP and Congress buying and selling fees.
The committee has oversight over the U.S. State Department and the authors of the letter say that they had written to Mr. Rubio 3 times in February in search of details of the funding,however had not acquired a reply. The letter is signed by HFAC’s Ranking Member (i.e., a Democrat) Gregory Meeks and the rating member of its South and Central Asia subcommittee, Sydney Kamlager-Dove.
“The President’s [Mr. Trump’s] statements, including his unsubstantiated claim that the Biden Administration used these funds to ‘get somebody else elected’ ignited a political firestorm in India,” the U.S. lawmakers say of their letter.
Citing examples such because the USAID had supplied for the establishing of IIT Kanpur, the letter says Mr. Trump’s “inflammatory statements” had created suspicion across the improvement company’s work in India and jeopardized a long-lasting partnership.
“India is a key strategic partner and sustaining this relationship requires skilled diplomacy,” the letter says.
The lawmakers ask Mr. Rubio for a response to their letter by March 21, 2025. The Hindu has reached out to the State Department for a remark.
Published – March 14, 2025 07:32 pm IST
