CNN: Melinda Gates: The best investment America can make
Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“…The money we spend on foreign aid is a long-term investment in Americans themselves. … When the United States invests in strengthening health systems abroad, it also makes deadly epidemics less likely to land on our shores. … What’s more, by helping countries lift themselves out of poverty, we also create markets for U.S. products. … If the United States goes forward with … cuts to foreign aid, it will leave a gap in the world’s moral leadership and reduce our country’s standing among nations. It will mean that millions of people — including millions of children — will die preventable deaths on our watch. More men and women will be driven by desperation toward dangerous extremism, and more people in the world’s poorest places will live and die trapped in poverty. For all these reasons, I will spend my time in D.C. this week making the case that if we care about keeping America healthy, safe, and prosperous, then we must prioritize foreign aid. The cost of these cuts is far too great for our country — or our conscience — to bear” (4/20).