Jaishankar calls USAID funding allegation 'worrisome', says country deserves answers

Jaishankar calls USAID funding allegation "worrisome", says country deserves answers

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday addressed the claim made by the Trump administration regarding the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allocating $21 million for "voter turnout" in India. Jaishankar said the government is “looking into it” and described the allegation as "concerning and worrisome." He added the USAID was allowed to function in India in good faith, not for "activities which are in bad faith".

Speaking at the Delhi University Literature Festival, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the claims made by the Trump administration, saying, “Some information has been put out there by the Trump administration people, and obviously, that is concerning… I think, as a government, we’re looking into it. My sense is that the facts will come out…USAID was allowed here in good faith, to do good faith activities; now, suggestions are being laid out from America that there are activities which are in bad faith. It’s worrisome, and if there’s something to it, then the country should know who the people are involved in it."

#WATCH | Delhi: On USAID, EAM S Jaishankar says, "...Some information has been put out there by the Trump administration people, and obviously, that is concerning... I think, as a government, we're looking into it. My sense is that the facts will come out...USAID was allowed here pic.twitter.com/UZT5aimfXX

ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2025

The US Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, a close associate of Donald Trump, recently posted on X, stating that USAID had allocated $21 million "for voter turnout in India" but that the funding had been cancelled.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Biden administration was responsible for allocating this fund.

During a 'Governors Working Session' in Washington on Friday, Trump said, “Twenty-one million dollars going to my friend Prime Minister Modi in India for voter turnout. We're giving 21 million for voter turnout in India. What about us? I want voter turnout too.”

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US and his meeting with President Trump, Jaishankar emphasized that it marked a significant step in enhancing bilateral relations.

He said, “The Prime Minister was in the US and Washington. He was among the earliest world leaders to be invited by President Trump in his second term to meet with him. I’ve been doing this all my life, so I have some reference points and experiences as a comparative assessment. I would say with all objectivity, I thought it went very well and for a variety of reasons."