India’s first transgender surgery clinics are closing down after President Donald J. Trump gutted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), halting American taxpayer cash from funding woke projects across the globe. The closures will impact around 5,000 people who used the three clinics affected in the South Asian country.
The shutdown occurred after a stop-work order from the USAID, which initially funded the clinics, as part of a broader pause on foreign aid instituted by U.S. President Trump. The Mitr Clinics, located in Hyderabad, Kalyan, and Pune, each required an annual budget of approximately three million rupees (~$35,000) and employed around eight staff members.
Despite the halt in funds, organizers received a waiver from USAID permitting them to continue providing certain life-saving services, notably antiretroviral treatment for individuals with HIV. About 10 percent of the clinics’ clientele are infected with HIV. The Indian government announced an investigation into the funding stoppage last week.
The clinics are just the latest woke project to see their funding affected by the USAID freeze as the American public has become informed of the billions spent by the agency overseas. Some projects have included a transgender opera in Colombia and even a food program in Syria for al-Qaeda fighters.
Some foreign lawmakers, including Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the European Parliament Petr Bystron, have vowed to investigate the extend of USAID’s activities in funding leftist NGOs in their countries.
