DeSantis Confronts Biden Over Prolonging Trump’s LGBT Aid Initiative in Bangladesh
As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticizes President Joe Biden’s economic policies, he has raised eyebrows by repeatedly highlighting federal spending on LGBTQ+ rights in Bangladesh as an example of wasteful expenditure. During a recent Fox News town hall with Iowa voters, DeSantis questioned the allocation of taxpayer dollars to what he described as “promoting transgenderism in Bangladesh.”
DeSantis’s remarks, often echoed at campaign events, assert that taxpayer money is being squandered on initiatives that he deems questionable. However, a fact-check reveals that the program in question, aimed at promoting the civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in Bangladesh, was initiated during the Trump administration. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) led the efforts, costing approximately $850,000 over three years – a mere fraction of USAID’s $30 billion budget for the fiscal year it concluded.
The specific program highlighted by DeSantis, launched in June 2018 and concluded in June 2021, focused on working with Bangladeshi civil society groups to advocate for the inclusion of the “Hijra” community in the 2021 census. The term “Hijra” refers to transgender individuals in South Asia and holds cultural and historical significance in the region. Both Bangladesh and nearby India recognize Hijra as a third gender.
Contrary to DeSantis’s implication, this program was not a recent initiative under the Biden administration, but rather a project that began under former President Donald Trump. The cost amounted to less than 0.003% of USAID’s total spending for the fiscal year in which it concluded.
In response to inquiries, USAID acknowledged another ongoing program supporting LGBTQ+ rights in Bangladesh, launched last year. However, the agency did not disclose the cost of this program, set to run for five years.
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DeSantis’s focus on this particular expenditure appears to be part of a broader strategy to appeal to conservative and evangelical voters. In recent weeks, the governor has highlighted his efforts in Florida to sign laws restricting gender-affirming treatment for minors, regulating transgender individuals’ restroom use, and imposing restrictions on drag shows.
While DeSantis claims that he believes “both parties” overspend taxpayer money, his specific mention of Bangladesh came in the context of criticizing President Biden for inflation. The governor’s narrative emphasizes concerns about the allocation of resources to international LGBTQ+ initiatives at the expense of addressing domestic issues.
As the rhetoric around federal spending continues to shape political discourse, it is crucial to distinguish between factual information and political messaging. In this case, the specific program in Bangladesh targeted at promoting LGBTQ+ rights was implemented during the previous administration, challenging DeSantis’s characterization of it as a recent, and ostensibly misguided, initiative under the current administration.
