Gates Slams Musk Over Aid Cuts, Pledges $200 Billion for Charity

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has announced a significant acceleration of his philanthropic efforts, pledging to donate a staggering $200 billion through his foundation by 2045. This announcement, made on the 25th anniversary of the Gates Foundation, comes alongside a sharp rebuke of Elon Musk’s role in substantial cuts to the U.S. foreign aid budget.

Gates, 69, stated his intention to divest the vast majority of his wealth and conclude the foundation’s operations on December 31, 2045, a timeline significantly shorter than previously anticipated. He emphasized that these funds would be crucial in tackling pressing global issues, including the eradication of diseases like polio and malaria, preventing child and maternal deaths, and alleviating global poverty.

His urgency stems from recent governmental decisions, notably those overseen by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which have led to massive reductions in international aid budgets. Gates did not mince his words, telling the Financial Times that “the picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one.” He highlighted that these cuts, which could affect around 80% of USAID programs (amounting to $44 billion in 2023), risk reversing decades of progress in reducing global mortality rates. In a separate interview with Reuters, Gates warned that millions more deaths could occur in the next four to six years due to these funding shortfalls.

While the Gates Foundation will ramp up its annual budget to $9 billion by 2026 and $10 billion thereafter, Gates stressed that philanthropic efforts alone cannot compensate for the scale of government funding. He expressed hope that governments will eventually “come back to caring about children surviving.”

The once-aligned views of Gates and Musk on the importance of wealth redistribution have clearly fractured. Asked about reaching out to Musk, Gates indicated that the decision regarding U.S. aid now rests with Congress. Musk, in response to a tweet featuring Gates’ warnings, labeled the philanthropist a “huge liar” on his social media platform X.

Despite the challenges posed by government cuts, Gates remains committed. “There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people,” he wrote on his website, questioning whether the world’s wealthiest nations will continue to support the most vulnerable. He acknowledged some positive responses in Africa, where certain governments have reallocated budgets, but underscored that the eradication of diseases like polio hinges on continued U.S. funding.

Since its inception in 2000, the Gates Foundation, co-founded with his then-wife Melinda French Gates and later joined by Warren Buffett, has distributed $100 billion, contributing to significant advancements in global health through initiatives like Gavi and the Global Fund. Gates anticipates that the foundation will expend approximately $200 billion, around 99% of his personal fortune, by its planned closure.

While acknowledging past criticisms regarding the foundation’s influence and the conspiracy theories he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates remains focused on the urgent need for global health investment, a message he has conveyed in recent conversations with President Trump. “The world does have values. That’s what my parents taught me,” he told Reuters.