Microsoft Corp. MSFT co-founder, Bill Gates, urges the Trump administration to maintain funding for international health initiatives, cautioning that his foundation cannot compensate for the potential shortfall.
What Happened: Gates has been actively engaging Trump administration officials, advocating for the preservation of the funding for global health programs, from child immunization to HIV treatment, as reported by Reuters. The tech billionaire has held discussions with the National Security Council and bipartisan lawmakers to present his case.
Upon taking office, President Donald Trump initiated steps to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reducing more than 80% of contracts and suspending billions of dollars earmarked for various health initiatives. The Trump administration is currently evaluating which foreign aid will be retained under its “America First” policy.
A representative for the Gates Foundation told Reuters, “Bill was recently in Washington D.C. meeting with decision makers to discuss the life-saving impact of U.S. international assistance and the need for a strategic plan to protect the world's most vulnerable while safeguarding America's health and security.”
Gates stressed that his foundation cannot substitute the role of the U.S. government in these initiatives. Top priorities of the Gates Foundation, such as polio eradication and malaria combat, will be severely affected by the U.S. withdrawal.
On this note, Jesse Lecy, associate professor of data science and nonprofit studies at Arizona State University told Fortune, "What people misunderstand about foundations is that they are the venture capital arm of philanthropy, not the long-term capital that sustains programming.”
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Why It Matters: Gates’ advocacy for sustained global health funding comes in the wake of his recent appeal to Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk to reconsider slashing USAID programs.
In February, Gates expressed optimism that Musk, who oversees DOGE, would rethink his stance on USAID cuts, stating that their work is something “every taxpayer would be proud of”. The potential funding cuts by the Trump administration could significantly impact global health initiatives, putting millions of lives at risk.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, on Tuesday, called the USAID cuts ‘unconstitutional’ and blocked Musk and DOGE from making more cuts, as per CBS News.
The judge also ordered DOGE to reinstate access to USAID’s computer systems for both direct and contract employees. However, Chuang did not block the widespread termination of most USAID contracts and personnel. Trump told Fox News that his administration would challenge the ruling on appeal.
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