Bill Gates urges US to reverse foreign aid cuts amid health crisis

The closure of USAID on June 30, following Trump-era administrative changes, saw its functions absorbed by the State Department, with Secretary Marco Rubio announcing a shift toward more “targeted and time-limited” US foreign aid

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has strongly criticized recent US government cuts to foreign aid programs, calling them “entirely preventable” and urging policymakers to take immediate steps to restore critical funding. The remarks follow the official closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) as an independent body and growing concerns about its impact on global health services.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday (July 11), Gates responded to a report shared by journalist Sam Stein, highlighting alarming on-the-ground conditions. The report included comments from an anonymous aid worker in Africa who described the non-arrival of HIV medications for children, shortages of oxygen tubes for newborns, and dwindling supplies for treating sexually transmitted infections. “It’s not too late to reverse [these cuts],” Gates wrote, underscoring the urgency of the crisis.

The closure of USAID, completed on June 30, followed administrative changes initiated in February under the Trump administration, which placed several of the agency’s staff on leave. Its responsibilities have now been absorbed into the State Department. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently stated that moving forward, US foreign assistance would be “targeted and time-limited,” signalling a sharp departure from long-standing American commitments to global development.

Global health programs face setbacks

The State Department is also reviewing the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a major US-led initiative that has saved millions of lives through HIV prevention and treatment. The potential reduction or delay in PEPFAR funding has raised fears of escalating mortality rates in vulnerable communities.

Speaking in Ethiopia last month, Gates warned of the consequences of abrupt funding cuts. “Some of these cuts are so sudden that clinical trials are being disrupted, and life-saving drugs are just sitting in warehouses,” he said. The Gates Foundation, which has worked closely with USAID and invested billions in global health, views these changes as a major setback.

The Trump administration has also signalled an end to US support for Gavi, the vaccine alliance co-founded by the Gates Foundation in 1999. Gates, who plans to donate most of his wealth to philanthropy, emphasized that global health progress depends not only on private initiatives but also on sustained government support.

“This is a mistake we can still fix,” Gates urged.