Gates Criticizes Musk Cuts to US Global Aid Programs

Billionaires Bill Gates and Elon Musk are engaged in a public and intense dispute over Musk's drastic cuts to U.S. foreign aid through his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which led to the effective shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Gates and his wife Melinda French Gates have criticized Musk's actions, warning that these cuts are causing increased deaths from preventable diseases such as HIV, measles, and polio, and leading to expired life-saving medicines and food in warehouses. Musk has dismissed USAID as a 'ball of worms' and a 'criminal organization,' defending his cost-cutting approach despite Gates' detailed examples of the agency's critical work. Melinda French Gates urged Musk to witness the global impact firsthand before making such decisions, while Gates called Musk's claims lies and emphasized his own experience with USAID workers in developing countries. The feud has escalated into a broader debate over the future of global philanthropy, with Gates announcing plans to donate $200 billion through his foundation by 2045 and warning that government aid reductions cannot be fully offset by private philanthropy. The controversy highlights deep divisions over the priorities and methods of addressing global health and poverty issues.