Elon Musk laughed when he heard that the US was financing Uzbek cotton farmers

Elon Musk, who heads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), laughed after hearing a report from Labor Secretary Lori Chavez on foreign sources of government funding.

“We have saved $250 million by eliminating foreign aid programs as part of the ‘America First’ principle. This includes projects like funding transparency and accountability in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan. It makes no sense for our money to be spent on such things. You know, when it comes to this foreign (aid), thank you DOGE,” he said.

This caused the Tesla boss to laugh.

“Some things are so absurd that you can’t believe it. To the cotton farmers of Uzbekistan, it’s like a comedy scene,” Musk said.

“Yeah, some things don’t make sense,” Chavez replied.

The U.S. Department of Labor has canceled more than $38 million in foreign aid programs, including a project to increase transparency and accountability in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. The decision was announced by Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

“From my first day as Secretary of Labor, I promised that putting American workers first would be our top priority at the department. At President Trump’s direction, we immediately began to implement this mission. Last week, the department canceled several foreign aid grants, saving more than $38 million,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a video message posted on X.

How much aid has Uzbekistan received?

According to the department, the “Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in the Cotton Industry of Uzbekistan” project aimed to “improve working conditions and prevent forced labor in the cotton industry of Uzbekistan by strengthening the capacity of workers and employers to promote compliance with international labor standards.”

The program, which began in August 2022, was initially scheduled to run until December 2026. In 2022, $2 million was allocated for the project, and an additional $1 million was planned for 2025. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!