U.S. Should Continue To Fund Foreign Aid, Global Health Programs That ‘Pay Enormous Dividends’

Seattle Times: Gates Foundation’s $120 million fuels PATH’s lifesaving work
Editorial Board

“…Earlier this month, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented a $120 million grant to PATH, … [which] is using the grant to scale up its vaccine-development program. … This follows Bill Gates’ decision this summer to give $4.6 billion of Microsoft stock to the foundation. His largest gift since 2000, it brings the value of his charitable donations to $50 billion, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Breathtaking, but still nowhere near enough to combat the spread of scourges such as malaria and AIDS. Gates noted last week that the foundation’s spending remains relatively small compared with foreign aid and research funded by government, which President Donald Trump wants to cut. … Continued aid from the U.S. and other nations is critical to maintain progress seen [in global health] in recent decades. … If Congress and Trump want to make America and the world greater, they will continue funding foreign aid programs that are relatively small expenditures yet pay enormous dividends…” (9/18).

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