US President Donald Trump on Voter Turnout Fund and Reciprocal Tariffs
Updated: Feb 25
Key Highlights
Donald Trump raises questions over $21M fund for voter turnout in India.
The US President commits to imposing reciprocal tariffs on other countries.
DOGE cancels unnecessary funding programs.
Donald Trump, the US President, is putting an end to funding activities on foreign soil that don’t yield anything fruitful. The fundamental objective is to reallocate those funds and help America thrive across the globe. He has, since his election campaign, focused on imposing higher tariffs on other countries like Canada and China. Digging deeper into this has brought one more aspect to his attention - funding India’s voter turnout through USAID.
Elon Musk-led DOGE has already taken action against USAID. The Trump Administration is now doing its part of going after unnecessary spending.
Donald Trump on Funding India’s Voter Turnout
According to a report by Times of India, the US had an allocation of $21 million in funding voter turnout for India, that is Bharat. Donald Trump questioned that allocation, saying that India has way more money while hinting that there was no need to fund voter turnout. The voter turnout fund was allocated to offer assistance to voters in India, getting them out of their homes, and voting for a regime (change?).
BJP, the current ruling party of India, has acknowledged this development. Amit Malviya from BJP, according to The Hindu, has even reacted to it and called the fund allocation an external interference in India’s electoral process. The political party is now seeking an investigation into the matter to know how exactly the funds were used and who they were directed to help. Congress has also called for an investigation by requesting the BJP to conduct an investigation.
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DOGE, that is the Department of Government Efficiency, has canceled spending on many more such foreign activities. This includes $2.3 million for strengthening independent voices in Cambodia, $486 million for the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening in Moldova, and $29 million for strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh.
Questions are being asked about how much of it was actually being spent for the said purpose. Or, if funds were even spent at all.
This comes days after Donald Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks. Topics that were reportedly discussed by them are illegal migrants, trade, and defense. Donald Trump said that he respects India and Modi. Trump even called India’s Prime Minister a tough negotiator.
Reciprocal Tariffs by Donald Trump
The US President, Donald Trump, is clear about charging high tariffs from other countries. A recent post from him on X offers more clarification about it. Trump has said that he will charge reciprocal tariffs and will consider VAT equivalent to Tariffs. This implies that countries will face the same tariff they charge from the US. If, say, Canada charges a 25% tariff, then the US will impose a 25% tariff on Canada - no more, no less.
Trump has said that sending products to the US to harm the country will not be accepted, adding that there will be a provision for subsidies provided by countries to take economic advantage of America.
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Donald Trump acknowledged non-monetary tariffs and trade barriers that potentially restrict the US from operating its business in the region. The US President stated that they are able to determine the cost of non-monetary trade barriers.
Elon Musk-Led DOGE in Action
Most recently, DOGE was seen seeking help from the general public in reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. The US citizens have been asked to share their ideas with the relevant affiliates of DOGE. Other than that, DOGE has said it is working with agencies to simplify programs and reduce administrative costs after finding spending worth approximately $40 billion in 2024.
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