Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder turned global health advocate, is pointing fingers at the Trump administration for what he sees as a preventable public health disaster. The issue? The dissolution of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which Gates blames for a troubling reversal in child mortality trends.
The Numbers Tell a Grim Story
The Gates Foundation's annual Goalkeepers Report dropped some sobering statistics: roughly 200,000 more children under five are expected to die this year compared to 2024. That's not just a bad year—it's the first increase in child deaths in several decades, reversing what had been steady progress in global health.
Gates connects this spike directly to funding cuts. Global health aid from wealthy nations and donors, including the United States, has plummeted by 27%. When you're talking about vaccines, basic healthcare, and nutrition programs in developing countries, that kind of drop has immediate consequences.
USAID's Demise and What Comes Next
The agency's shutdown was part of President Donald Trump's broader government workforce reductions this year. Gates had warned about the potential fallout earlier, and now he's watching those predictions play out in real time.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Gates didn't sugarcoat the outlook: "I think we're going to have five very tough years where at best we'll be able to plateau the deaths."
He was even more direct about USAID specifically: "I believe that was a gigantic mistake, and that's partly why we've had the turmoil and increase in deaths this year."
Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers
USAID wasn't just another government agency—it was a major player in global health infrastructure. The kind of work it funded doesn't bounce back quickly. According to Gates, even with renewed effort, it'll take years to recover from the funding gap. In the meantime, the best-case scenario is simply stopping the bleeding and preventing deaths from climbing even higher.
It's a stark reminder that budget cuts in Washington don't just shuffle paperwork—they have tangible effects on the ground, thousands of miles away.