Bill Gates has criticized the Trump administration's foreign aid reductions, implemented through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk. Gates stated that these actions could lead to increased child mortality, a claim for which Musk requested supporting evidence.
In his annual letter, the Gates Foundation founder acknowledged that global progress faced setbacks. He highlighted a rise in deaths of children under five years old in 2025, increasing to 4.8 million from 4.6 million in 2024, the first increase this century. This increase was attributed to decreased support from wealthy nations to poorer countries.
The Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers Report projected an additional 12.5 million child deaths by 2045 if development assistance for health is cut by 20% from 2024 levels. Despite these challenges, Gates expressed continued optimism, citing the potential of artificial intelligence to drive innovation. However, he noted that the next five years would be challenging, requiring efforts to regain progress and scale new life-saving tools. He believes that within the next decade, global progress will not only recover but enter a new era.
In 2025, Gates announced a commitment of approximately $100 billion, representing 'virtually all his wealth,' to his foundation. These funds are designated to be spent over the subsequent 20 years, marking one of the largest philanthropic commitments in modern history. This action aligns with his long-standing philanthropic efforts, including co-founding the Giving Pledge in 2010.
Gates urged other wealthy philanthropists to contribute more, aiming to fill gaps left by government funding reductions. He emphasized that philanthropy from the wealthy, both domestically and globally, should expand given the record number of billionaires and centibillionaires. An Oxfam report from January 2025 indicated an increase in billionaires to 2,769 in 2024, with predictions of trillionaire status for at least five individuals within a decade. Gates stressed the importance of restoring foreign aid, noting it represented less than 1% of GDP in even the most generous countries.