Bill Gates: USAID Cuts Were a 'Gigantic Mistake'

Child mortality is expected to rise globally for the first time in decades this year, partly owing to cuts to US foreign aid, according to a new report from the Gates Foundation. The report, which draws on projections from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, estimates that about 243,000 more children under the age of 5 will die in 2025 compared to the previous year, per the Wall Street Journal. The increase is concentrated in African countries facing conflict, weak health systems, and dwindling levels of foreign aid—including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Madagascar.

Bill Gates, whose foundation is a major funder of global health initiatives, pointed to a 27% drop in health aid from wealthy nations as a key factor. He notes the increase in deaths can be partly blamed on the Trump administration's dismantling of the US Agency for International Development, which he calls "a gigantic mistake." A woman in a displaced-persons camp in Somalia says her 2-year-old died of malnutrition after the US-based nonprofit Mercy Corps, helping to feed her family, saw a 80% drop in funding from USAID, per the Journal.

"We're decreasing the money, and it's not surprising that's resulting in more deaths," Gates tells Politico. The White House, for its part, says the US still leads the world in foreign aid and is working to promote self-reliance in partner countries. Child mortality has fallen globally since 1990, when 11.6 million child deaths were reported. About 4.8 million child deaths tied to inadequate health care access are expected this year. This is no blip, according to Gates. "I think we're going to have five very tough years where at best we'll be able to plateau the deaths," he tells the Journal.