'No $21 million funding to India for voter turnout': US embassy contradicts Donald Trump's voter funding claim

The US Embassy in New Delhi contradicted US President Donald Trump's claims of $21 million in funding for voter turnout in India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

"The Embassy also maintains that 'USAID/India did not receive or provide funding of $21 million for voter turnout in India from fiscal year 2014 to 2024, nor has it implemented any voter turnout-related activities in India," the MEA's response in the Upper House read. The MEA also detailed the sequence of events in the written reply. 

Sequence of events as detailed by the MEA

In February this year, Trump claimed that the USAID gave $21 million in funding for 'voter turnout efforts' in India. He accused the agency of election interference in the world's largest democracy.

The MEA said that on February 28, it requested the US Embassy in Delhi to urgently show details of expenditure incurred on all USAID-assisted/funded projects in India over the last 10 years ,other than those being implemented under the 7 Partnership Agreements with the Government of India. 

The reply read that effective July 1 2025, USAID's operations officially ceased. Approximately 83 per cent of its programs were terminated, and 94 per cent of its staff were laid off.

The State Department assumed responsibility for the remaining 17 per cent of USAID's operations and foreign aid administration. It added that the full closure of the USAID is scheduled to be completed by September 2, 2025. 

The Ministry also sought a list of NGOs/implementing partners through which the initiatives were executed. Citing the US Embassy's response, the Ministry stated that a day after the USAID's operations were officially ceased, the US Embassy said that it covered USAID funding in India from 2014-24 and included details of implementing partners, objectives, and key accomplishments of each activity undertaken.

On July 29, the Embassy told the MEA that it plans to bring all USAID operations in India to a close by August 15, 2025. More than a week later on August 11, the US Embassy said in a letter to the Department of Economic Affairs that all 7 Partnership Agreements signed with the Government of India would stand closed with effect from August 15.  

What exactly did Trump say in February?

Speaking at an event in Miami, Trump said: "Why do we need to spend $21 million on voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government... Because when we hear that Russia spent about two thousand dollars in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for two thousand dollars. This is a total breakthrough." 

He also said that Indians have a lot of money there, adding that the US can hardly enter the market because "their tariffs are so high".