On 16 February, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), United States, published a post on X announcing a list of funding initiatives that were recently stopped or cancelled. According to the list posted by DOGE, $486 million was given to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), which included $21 million for ‘voter turnout’ in India—equivalent to ₹182 crore as per today’s USD to INR value.
While the money was pumped into India via CEPPS, several media houses and alleged journalists presented it as if the funding that had been stopped was meant for the Government of India. Journalist Ranvijay SIngh put up a screenshot of Jansatta report and wrote, “Trump and Elon Musk have jointly stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding. This funding for India was halted two days after a meeting with Modi.”
In a similar post, quoting Jansatta, Mumbai Congress wrote, “What did Trump do after meeting Modi? Chained Indians and expelled them from the US on a military plane! Stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding! It’s only been two days, who knows what he’ll do next!” Notably, the funding was not meant for “India” (read Government of India). Furthermore, Minister of External Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, has clearly stated that SoP is being followed for the deported Indians who entered the US illegally.
In a post on X, Congress’s Vice Chairman – Social Media and Digital platform, Dinesh Pant, wrote, “Trump and Elon Musk have jointly stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding.”
Journalist Shailesh Pandey wrote, “After all, why did the US administration halt the ₹182 crore funding even after a meaningful discussion between the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the American businessman-turned-minister, Elon Musk? But what can be said about the way the BJP IT cell chief and the dubiously credible Amit Malviya immediately turned against Congress?”
Journalist Deoki Nandan Mishra echoed what Mumbai Congress wrote and said, “What did Trump do after meeting Modi? Chained Indians and expelled them from the US on a military plane. Stopped India’s ₹182 crore funding. It’s hard to predict what Trump will do next.”
Aaj Tak Radio also added a line “America stopped 182 crore funding to India” in a post on X without giving any context.
Hindustan Times’ report’s title read, “Musk-led DOGE’s latest move: Stop $21 million grant for voter turnout in India”. The title or the report did not clarify that it was not going to the government but to NGOs.
A similar report was published by The Hindu with title “$21 million for ‘voter turnout in India’ among grant cuts announced by Elon Musk-led DOGE”. Again, no clarification was provided in the report that the funds were not meant for the government but for the NGOs.
Jansatta sensationalised it, and that is among the reasons why screenshots of its report were widely used to spread misinformation.
Times of India released a video on the similar lines with caption that read, “Donald Trump’s $21 million jolt to India: Elon Musk cut US funding to India amid foreign aide purge”.
#DonaldTrump’s $21 million jolt to India: #ElonMusk cuts U.S. funding to India amid foreign aide purge pic.twitter.com/jmtA9Uaupc
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) February 16, 2025
OpIndia has published a detailed report on the $21 million funding that has been stopped by the US. It should be noted that the money was coming from USAID via CEPPS, which claims to be a coalition of nonprofit, nonpartisan, and nongovernmental organisations dedicated to promoting democratic institutions and governance worldwide. CEPPS’s website is currently non-functional.
During our investigation, we found that CEPPS operates through three fronts: the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Documentation available on the internet showed that CEPPS was established in 1995 and, since then, has received over $2 billion in funding from USAID. One of the biggest red flags is that CEPPS does not merely assist election commissions; it explicitly states that it directly engages with political parties, civil society groups, and even election monitoring bodies. This means it has the potential to influence political dynamics in the countries where it operates. The Democratic Elections and Political Processes (DEPP) programme, under which CEPPS functions, is structured in a way that allows the US to provide funding and support to selected groups, potentially tilting election outcomes in their favour if required.
Now, coming to its influence in India, we found that in FY 2018 alone, CEPPS spent $318,614 in the country via IFES, one of its fronts. Interestingly, IFES signed an MoU with the Election Commission of India (ECI) in 2012 under then-Election Commissioner SY Quraishi. IFES is not only funded by USAID but also by several private entities with questionable motives.
Considering that IFES is heavily funded by USAID via CEPPS, its other sources of funding also need to be scrutinised. According to IFES’s “Our Partners & Donors” section, the Election Commission of India itself is listed as a funder, alongside major public entities like USAID, the US Department of State, and Australian Aid.
The real concern, however, is that one of the funders of IFES is Open Society Foundations (OSF), which is owned by George Soros. Notably, Soros has been involved in funding anti-India activities for a long time.
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) partnership with IFES did not end with the 2012 MoU—it continued under IIIDEM (India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management) and International IDEA, a global intergovernmental organisation. IIIDEM, an ECI-established body, was founded in 2011—the same time when SY Quraishi signed the MoU with IFES. It is important to note that the ECI is an autonomous body. This means that while the Government of India is not directly working with IFES, it is engaging with IIIDEM.
It is evident that what media houses, journalists, and opposition leaders tried to project is misleading.
OpIndia’s investigation into USAID’s funding in India is underway. As we uncover more information, further reports will be published.
