Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican contender for president, takes part in a CNN Republican Town Hall at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, January 4, 2024, which is facilitated by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
At two events this week in Iowa, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis frequently criticized the federal government for “promoting transgenderism in Bangladesh,” claiming that it is a waste of tax dollars and criticized President Joe Biden’s economic policies.
At a Fox News town hall with Iowa voters on Tuesday night, DeSantis stated, “I think the president should get a line-item veto.” Should a large expenditure bill land on your desk, you have the ability to veto or hack off certain spending items. Your money is currently being used to support transgender rights in Bangladesh. Is that a wise use of the money you pay with taxes?
This statement is frequently spoken during DeSantis’ campaign rallies. DeSantis did, however, express to the town hall his opinion that “both parties” are abusing public funds. However, he brought
First the facts: DeSantis is discussing a program that was started during the Trump administration that supported the civil rights of LGBT Bangladeshis. It cost roughly $850,000, which is a small portion of the $30 billion government budget that the program was funded by.
DeSantis capitalized on transgender concerns in the closing weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses to win over the state’s conservative and evangelical constituencies. He has bragged about having passed legislation in Florida that forbade gender-affirming care for kids, limited the bathrooms accessible to transgender individuals, and even took action against drag performances.
The DeSantis campaign referred to a news statement and information sheet sent by USAID, the US Agency for International Development, in response to a CNN query.
The materials highlighted USAID’s collaboration with civil society organizations in Bangladesh to encourage the government to incorporate the “Hijra” community into the 2021 census. The word “hijira,” which originates from old religious customs in the area, is used to describe transgender persons in South Asia. India and Bangladesh both acknowledge hijra as a third gender.
The particular USAID program that was part of these initiatives began in June 2018 and ran until June 2021. This indicates that it started during Donald Trump’s presidency.
According to USAID data, the program’s total cost for the three years was $849,535.00. When the fiscal year 2021 came to a conclusion, USAID reported having spent about $30 billion. Thus, Bangladesh’s pro-LGBT program accounted for less than 0.003% of the organization’s overall
