Overview

• Bill Gates quietly pressed for reconsideration of the $9.5 billion Doge budget reductions, including $8.3 billion earmarked for USAID
• A State Department spokesperson has confirmed that Rubio’s position on foreign aid cuts remains unchanged following Gates’s appeal
• The proposed USAID cuts threaten programs such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which plays a major role in reducing mortality across Africa
• Gates previously warned that Elon Musk’s push for $2 trillion in federal spending cuts could lead to millions of deaths by halting vital global health initiatives
• In response to the funding risk, Gates has pledged to direct the bulk of his foundation’s $200 billion planned outlay over two decades to African aid