The Donald Trump administration has scrapped $29 million in US funding meant for “strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh”. The move has sparked controversy amid allegations of US involvement in the country’s regime change. The cost-cutting move was announced by Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as part of a broader effort to eliminate foreign aid projects.
In a post on X, DOGE listed cancelled overseas funding, including the Bangladesh project. “USD 29M to ‘strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh’ has been stopped,” it stated. The decision follows Trump’s recent remarks denying any US role in the political upheaval that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.
The now-defunded program, funded by USAID and the UK’s former Department for International Development, aimed to strengthen political party capacity, promote dialogue, and reduce political violence, according to Democracy International. It worked with political activists, grassroots leaders, and university students to encourage peaceful political engagement.
Trump addressed allegations of US involvement in Bangladesh’s political crisis during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When asked if the Biden administration had orchestrated a regime change and installed Muhammad Yunus as chief adviser, Trump dismissed the idea, saying, “There is no role for our deep state. This is something that the Prime Minister has been working on for a long time and has worked on for hundreds of years… I have been reading about it.” Pointing to PM Modi, he added, “I will leave Bangladesh to the PM.”
DOGE also slashed other Biden-era foreign aid projects, including $22 million for “voter turnout in India” and $39 million for “fiscal federalism” and “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal. The agency has been reviewing federal spending as part of Trump’s push to overhaul and shrink the US government.