The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) established by US President Donald Trump under tech billionaire Elon Musk, intended to downsize the federal government, reduce wasteful expenditure, and stop the misuse of funds and corruption, has created huge waves in the US. This affects the bureaucracy at large, elements of which at the higher echelons are seen as part of the “deep state” that Trump is battling.

The activities of USAID have also come under the scanner by DOGE, and their exposure has touched India also, with the disclosure that $21 million allocated to India in 2024 for promoting higher voter turn-out in elections has been blocked. The stated purpose of these funds, to be channeled via the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), a group based in Washington, D.C., is baffling because the turn out in Indian elections is already very high. It was 65.79% in the 2024 general election – much higher than in US elections.

Trump, as is his wont, has latched on to this in his characteristic discursive style and expressed bemusement that such an allocation was made. He has commented several times on this in public and in the process has created confusion by talking of $21 million – the DOGE figure –initially and later mentioning $18 million, suggesting that kickbacks may be involved, mixing up the potential beneficiaries, saying that the purpose was to get “someone else elected,” and asking the basic question why India would need these funds at all.

It could be speculated that the funds might have been destined for opposition elements to bolster their chances in specific constituencies by promoting a higher voter turnout opposed to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). No proof of this is available as the money has not been disbursed.

The Indian opposition and its sympathizers in the media have tried to obfuscate the issue by claiming that the purported funds – not $21 million but $29 million – were intended for Bangladesh to “strengthen its political........

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