DOGE slashes nearly $1M for alpaca farming in Peru, other questionable grants in latest wasteful spending cut

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Tuesday announced the cancelation of $4.5 million in grants, including one for alpaca farming in Peru, another for reducing social discrimination of recyclers in Bolivia and another for promoting cultural understanding of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil.

The Inter-American Foundation, an agency given a $60 million budget to issue foreign grants, was reduced to its statutory minimum — one active employee, according to a statement from DOGE. 

Grants that were canceled in the process included $903,811 for alpaca farming in Peru, $364,500 to reduce social discrimination against recyclers in Bolivia, and $323,633 to promote cultural understanding of Venezuelan migrants in Brazil, according to DOGE.

Other big ticket grants that were slashed included $813,210 for vegetable gardens in El Salvador, $731,105 to improve the marketability of mushrooms and peas in Guatemala, $677,342 to expand fruit and jam sales in Honduras, $483,345 to improve artisanal salt production in Ecuador and $39,250 for beekeeping in Brazil.

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DOGE said it slashed a grant that used $903,811 of taxpayer money that promoted alpaca farming in Peru.  (Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images)

DOGE, led by Elon Musk, is a temporary organization within the White House created via executive order earlier this year.

President Donald Trump tasked the organization with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations, and slashing spending — and gave them just 18 months to do it.

Elon Musk met with members of the Senate DOGE caucus at the White House. (Getty Images)

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As of March 4, DOGE’s website claims 2,334 contract terminations totaling $8 billion in savings, 3,489 grant terminations for roughly $10 billion in savings, and 748 lease terminations totaling about $660 million in lease savings.

It also claims to have saved about $105 billion from a “combination of fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancelations, contract/lease renegotiation, asset sales, grant cancelations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes and regulatory savings.”

Former employees of USAID leave the headquarters building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 27, 2025. The layoffs come after DOGE’s analysis of the organization and recommendation for mass layoffs. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

DOGE critics allege the organization has too much access to federal systems and should not be permitted to cancel federal contracts or make cuts at various agencies.

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It canceled numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at federal agencies, consulting contracts, leases for underused federal buildings, and duplicate agencies and programs.

The Inter-American Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Tuesday. 

Fox News Digital’s Eric Revell contributed to this report.