Bill Gates Sounds Off After Musk’s DOGE Shutters USAID

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates appeared on ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday, where he voiced concerns over fellow billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) initiative to shut down USAID.

“Well, Elon, his private sector work, you know, has been very innovative, really fantastic,” Gates remarked in response to the recent closure of USAID offices and the freezing of its funds.

“A lot of private sector people, when they get into government, they don’t take the time necessarily to see what the good work is or why it’s structured the way it is, so I’m a little worried, particularly with this USAID stuff,” he elaborated.

“My foundation partners with USAID on nutrition and getting vaccines out, and, you know, there’s incredible people,” Gates added. “You know, they’re not actually worms that work there. So, you know, hopefully, we’ll get some of that work back in shape. In fact, if we don’t, you know, you could have literally millions of deaths.”

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Musk’s DOGE initiative has recently placed USAID under increased scrutiny as part of broader efforts to cut government spending and waste. This shift has also drawn attention to Samantha Power, who led the agency for most of the Biden administration, as noted by Fox News.

Power, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017 during the Obama administration, also served on his National Security Council before taking charge of USAID at the start of the Biden presidency. She was responsible for overseeing tens of billions in foreign aid distribution.

“One of the most pressing challenges facing our nation is restoring and strengthening America’s global leadership as a champion of democracy, human rights, and the dignity of all people,” then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris stated when Power was appointed. “Few Americans are better equipped to help lead that work than Ambassador Samantha Power.”

Power was also implicated in the Obama administration’s surveillance of Trump’s 2016 campaign, having attempted to access Michael Flynn’s redacted identity through an “unmasking” request at least seven times, according to past Fox News Digital reports.

Despite this, when testifying under oath before the House Intelligence Committee, she stated that she had “no recollection” of ever making such a request.

Defenders of Power contend that she has been instrumental in delivering U.S. aid to crisis-stricken areas, including Ukraine and Gaza, while also providing assistance in humanitarian emergencies in countries such as Haiti, Armenia, and Sudan.

However, USAID has come under mounting Republican criticism over allegations of funding coronavirus-related research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. The agency has also faced scrutiny over its financial support for LGBT initiatives abroad and significant spending on foreign migrant crises.

Among these expenditures, Fox News noted, was nearly $45 million designated for emergency food aid and economic relief for Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.

Musk confirmed in an audio message on X over the weekend that “we’re in the process” of “shutting down USAID.”

A Fox News Digital review of USAID’s past activities indicates that allegations of mismanagement and corruption at the agency predate Trump’s second administration. The spending overseen by Power is expected to remain a key topic of Republican discourse.

Additionally, in November 2024, a Syrian national, Mahmoud Al Hafyan, was charged with allegedly diverting more than $9 million in U.S.-funded humanitarian aid to terrorist organizations, including Al-Nusrah Front, according to Fox News.