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Published : 01 Feb 2025, 05:21 AM
The Chief Advisor’s Office has released funding comparisons, alleging “a campaign of lies” in Indian media regarding US contributions to Bangladesh’s development over President Trump's decision to freeze US aid across the globe.
In its verified Facebook page styled, The CA Press Wing Facts, it said certain Indian media outlets are running a “disinformation campaign” about the US President Donald Trump suspending global aid.
“This decision applies to all countries, including India and Bangladesh. One thing the Indian newspapers don't know or are deliberately avoiding is that US aid accounts for a tiny part of Bangladesh's development spending.”
Upon assuming office for a second term, President Trump suspended foreign aid for 90 days, affecting billions of dollars in funding for global programmes under the US State Department and the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID.
CNN reported that in February, the Trump administration would establish criteria to review whether existing US foreign aid aligns with his foreign policy. Based on this review, aid programmes would either continue, be revised, or be terminated.
Following Trump’s executive order, USAID notified implementing authorities and agencies in Bangladesh about the 90-day suspension of all project-related assistance.
The funding freeze has already impacted various public and private sector institutions in Bangladesh.
However, the Bangladesh government clarified that emergency food assistance for Rohingya refugees would remain exempt from the suspension.
Meanwhile, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh – icddr,b – has announced that it will gradually lay off more than 1,000 employees working on US-funded projects.
Citing a USAID letter to Bangladesh, West Bengal’s Anandabazar Patrika headlined its report: “America halts grants to Bangladesh! New pressure on the Muhammad Yunus government”.
Several other Indian media outlets also published reports focusing solely on Bangladesh in their headlines.
Describing Anandabazar's report as “misleading and politically motivated,” the Chief Advisor’s Office previously said: “In a recent executive order, US President Donald Trump suspended American aid for 90 days to review assistance for nearly all countries.
“However, singling out Bangladesh in the report is not only misleading but also part of a deliberate anti-Bangladesh misinformation campaign by certain Indian media outlets in recent times.”
On Friday, citing the Economic Relations Division, or ERD, the Chief Advisor’s Office reported that the US allocated over $181.7 million in aid to Bangladesh under USAID for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
In comparison, Japan’s JICA provided $1.91 billion, the World Bank, or WB, contributed nearly $2.25 billion, and the Asian Development Bank, or ADB, allocated over $2.15 billion.
According to the Chief Advisor’s Office, Bangladesh’s Annual Development Programme, or ADP, spending during this period totalled $16.97 billion. USAID’s share in this was only 1.07 percent.
ERD calculations further reveal that USAID funding accounts for only 9.51 percent of JICA’s contribution, 8.08 percent of the WB’s funding, and 8.45 percent of ADB’s assistance.
US ASSISTANCE TO BANGLADESH OVER FIVE YEARS
According to the US foreign assistance website, Bangladesh received over $2.29 billion in aid from the United States between fiscal years 2020 and 2024. The US fiscal year runs from October to September.
Of this amount, more than $1.73 billion came under USAID, while the rest was provided through other agencies, including the Department of State and the Department of Agriculture.
In 2024, USAID provided $371.76 million, which was allocated across various sectors such as emergency food aid, humanitarian relief, loans, healthcare, agriculture, disaster management, and Rohingya assistance.
Including all agencies, Bangladesh received $393.19 million in US aid in 2024.
In 2023, the country received $552.37 million in assistance from the United States, while in 2022, the amount was $535.88 million.
Of this, USAID provided approximately $400.52 million in 2023 and a little over $374.30 million in 2022.
