Forbes – Bill Gates criticized the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development as a “gigantic mistake” that contributed to a rise in child deaths for the first time in decades.
A report from the Gates Foundation found about 200,000 more children under the age of five could die this year than in 2024.
Gates told the Wall Street Journal the increase is tied to a 27% cut in global health aid from donors and wealthy nations, including the U.S., which shut down the USAID as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping government workforce cuts this year.
GATES PROUD TO FUND ABORTION: “It was announced that the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region, Inc. announced today that it has received a $1,730,000 gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.” – GATES FOUNDATION, undated [retrieved Dec 5, 2025]
Gates warned it will take years to make up for the loss in funding, telling the Journal “I think we’re going to have five very tough years where at best we’ll be able to plateau the deaths.”
A White House spokesperson told the Journal, when asked about Gates’ findings and his criticism of the USAID cuts, “the Trump administration is ensuring all programs funded by American taxpayers align with American interests … ”
