In a speech on January 29, Trump specifically mentioned DOGE’s cancellation of a $45 million scholarship for Myanmar. “We also blocked $45 million for diversity scholarships in Burma. Forty-five. That’s a lot of money for diversity scholarships. In Burma. Can you imagine where that money went,” he said, drawing chuckles from the audience.
He brought it up again at his first address to Congress on March 5. Behind him, both Vice President J.D. Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson gestured derision at the scholarships.
In early February, Human Rights Myanmar announced that $39.5 million in USAID funding earmarked for human rights, democracy, and media support programs has been halted. It also said that $22 million in humanitarian funding, alongside $36 million for farmers, $22 million for health programs and $30 million for education, has been suspended. In a March update, the group said Myanmar was on track to lose around $1.1 billion in foreign assistance over the second Trump term.