Misunderstanding or misinformation? Congresswoman slams US spending on NPR, foreign grants, and 'sex apps' in Malaysia

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Marjorie Taylor Greene - Photo by AFP

Some experts speculated that Greene was referring to JomCare, a harm reduction app developed by Professor Roman Shrestha from the University of Connecticut.

US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been appointed to lead a House subcommittee focused on addressing government waste as part of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, which was launched by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

In a recent post on her X page, Greene shared a clip from an interview with Fox News, where she discussed the growing issue of taxpayer money being misused by the government.

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Greene pointed to various areas of waste, including allegations that some US funds were being used to support "sex apps” in Malaysia.

During the interview, Greene stressed the US national debt, which currently stands at USD 36 trillion, and slammed the US government for funding media programmes such as National Public Radio (NPR), which she accused of spreading "Democrat propaganda."

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She also expressed concern over government spending in areas that do not benefit the American public, particularly foreign grants.

Greene’s statement on her X platform raised questions, especially among Malaysian audiences, after she alleged that US government grant programmes were funding "sex apps in Malaysia.”

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She also referred to grants for "toilets in Africa” as part of the broader issue of government inefficiency.

"Government waste is everywhere...across all departments, programmes, grants, and contracts.

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"This is a massive problem that has contributed to America’s 36 trillion-dollar debt.

"When we take a deep dive into these issues, we will examine everything, from government-funded media programmes like NPR, to grants funding things like sex apps in Malaysia, and toilets in Africa,” Greene stated during the interview.

Greene, who was recently elected to chair the subcommittee under DOGE, will work alongside Musk and Ramaswamy to oversee government spending.

However, reports have indicated that both Musk and Ramaswamy have no prior experience in the Federal Government, and DOGE is still in its early stages without a formal funding or authority structure.

Greene’s comments, particularly regarding the alleged funding of "sex apps in Malaysia," left many puzzled.

Some experts speculated that Greene was referring to JomCare, a harm reduction app developed by Professor Roman Shrestha from the University of Connecticut.

The app, which received a USD 3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, aims to combat HIV rates in Malaysia.

The app provides education and resources to help reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Although Greene did not expand on what she meant by "toilets in Africa," it was reported that she could be referring to US Agency for International Development (USAID) funding for sanitation programmes in Africa that reduce the spread of disease and bring clean water to communities in need.