In its bid to save US taxpayers’ money, the Donald Trump administration’s cost-cutting team–Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)– has cancelled a slew of overseas projects, including one in Bangladesh that raised several eyebrows. The billionaire Elon Musk-led department said it is cancelling $29 million funding intended for “strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh”.

In a post on X listing a list of cancelled US funding abroad, DOGE said, “USD 29M to ‘strengthening the political landscape in Bangladesh” has been stopped.

This comes days after American President Trump denied allegations of US involvement in the regime change in Bangladesh last year when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted following a nationwide protest led by students.

About Strengthening Political Landscape Project in Bangladesh

Funded by the United States Agency For International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdon’s erstwhile Department for International Development, the strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh program (SPL) worked to build political party capacity and strengthen relationships between parties and constituents while reducing political violence, according to Democracy International (DI).

Per DI, the programme supported political activists and citizens as they built the skills they needed to become effective leaders, advocate for inclusive policies, and constructively engage with one another to mitigate conflict.

In addition, SPL confronted the challenges of political violence by engaging political parties, grassroots activists, and university students, monitoring incidents of violence, and promoting peaceful alternatives.

Trump On US Involvement In Bangadesh’s Regime Change

After a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, US President Donald Trump dismissed any American involvement in the Bangladesh political crisis, stating that the issue has been handled by India for a long time.

When a reporter sought the views of President Trump on whether the previous Democratic government under former President Joe Biden carried out a regime change in Bangladesh, and installed Muhammad Yunus as a chief adviser, the Republican said, “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.”

Then pointing at PM Modi he added, “I will leave Bangladesh to the PM.”

While the Republican did not directly address the question, speculation is that the response indicated the new Trump administration may not get itself involved in Bangladesh, where alleged radical Islamist elements have been targeting religious minorities including Hindus.

India-Bangladesh Relations

Ties between India and Bangladesh have nosedived after Ms Hasina fled Dhaka in August in the face of a massive anti-government protest.

The interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned from the US to work as Bangladesh’s caretaker, continues to draw sharp criticism over not doing enough to stop attacks on minorities by radical Islamists.

Bangladesh-US Ties

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, on Friday said that he has discussed with Tesla CEO Elon Musk a potential collaboration to launch Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.

Yunus on Thursday held an extensive video discussion with Musk to make further progress in introducing Starlink satellite to enhance internet service in Bangladesh.

Professor Yunus also extended an invitation to Musk to visit Bangladesh for the potential launch of Starlink services, underscoring the significance of this initiative for national development, to which Musk responded positively. 

“I look forward to it,” Musk said.

Other Biden-Era Funding Slashed By DOGE

In a post on X, the official DOGE handle listed the number of spending by US taxpayers that has been cancelled, including $22 million in funding intended for ‘voter turnout in India’ and $ 39 million for “fiscal federalism” and “biodiversity conservation” in Nepal.

This is part of DOGE’s continued effort to outline significant changes in government spending over the last few weeks.

About Nepal’s  “Fiscal Federalism” Programme

With the promulgation of the 2015 constitution, Nepal embarked on its federalism journey and established three tiers of government– one federal, seven provinces, and 753 local levels in 2017. 

The fiscal federalism programme is based on the canon that “single penny expense is not levied without the consent of parliament”

To adhere to this norm, Nepal’s Constitution has clear provisions with regard to the financial procedures of the federal, provincial and local governments, according to a report by International Alert.

About DOGE