Gateses Warn Against Foreign Aid Cuts; Bill Gates Focusing Advocacy Efforts On U.S. Congress As ‘Things Very Much Hang In The Balance’

The Atlantic: Melinda Gates on Why Foreign Aid Still Matters
“…[T]he health of the developing world has been very much a story of hope. … In a new report from their foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates write that it’s this type of progress that could be reversed if funding for global health is cut — including by the U.S. government…” (Khazan, 9/13).

Forbes: Millions Could Die If Foreign Aid Is Cut, Gates Foundation Warns
“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation issued a stark warning [Wednesday] morning: if governments, particularly the U.S., were to cut their foreign aid budgets, millions of people would die from HIV, childhood illnesses, childbirth, and malaria…” (Herper, 9/13).

FOX News: Bill Gates: Trump’s proposed budget cuts could reverse gains in global health
“…In a recent telephone conference with reporters, Gates said the report will be annual at least through 2030. As part of the campaign to draw attention to the importance of funding for global health and anti-poverty programs, Bill and Melinda Gates are holding an event in New York next week that will feature former President Barack Obama and other dignitaries such as Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and U.N. Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed…” (Llorente, 9/13).

NBC News: Bill Gates Says Charities Can’t Make Up for Foreign Aid Cuts
“…Rather than concentrating on the president, Gates said he has shifted his focus toward members of Congress, ‘because things very much hang in the balance.’ He said he had also talked to members of the Trump administration, including National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Defense Secretary James Mattis, to stress the importance of foreign aid to maintaining global stability and public health. Gates said his most encouraging conversations have been with members of Congress, who he believes are aware of the value of maintaining the U.S. aid budget…” (Corey, 9/13).

VOA News: Bill Gates: Strides in Global Health at Risk if Rich Nations Pull Back
“… ‘We’re saying that progress is not inevitable,’ he said. ‘The counter trends are that if countries do not think about these global problems, and you get cuts, or if you have setbacks, in terms of pandemics and things like that, you can have reversals’…” (Quinn, 9/13).

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