Bill Gates Faces Intense Scrutiny After U.S. Halts Funding to Gavi Vaccine Alliance

Bill Gates is at the center of a heated global debate after the U.S. government announced it would halt all funding to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a move that health experts warn could have catastrophic consequences for child health worldwide. The decision, announced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cited unsubstantiated concerns over vaccine safety and accused Gavi of ignoring scientific evidence, despite the alliance’s longstanding record of providing vaccines to the world’s poorest children.

Gates, whose foundation is the largest private donor to Gavi and a key architect of its mission, responded with alarm. He publicly urged Congress to reverse the decision, warning that the funding cut would lead to “devastating consequences: more sick kids who fall behind in school, more overcrowded hospital wards, and eventually more grieving parents”. The Gates Foundation recently reaffirmed its commitment to Gavi with a $1.6 billion pledge over the next five years, bringing its total support to $7.7 billion since 2000. Gates emphasized that “fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take” to prevent a reversal in decades of progress against childhood deaths from preventable diseases.

Gavi, which supports vaccines for more than 20 infectious diseases including measles, malaria, and HPV, has immunized over 1.1 billion children in 78 countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths since its inception. The United States was previously Gavi’s third-largest donor, contributing about 12% of its funding last year. The loss of U.S. support, combined with recent foreign aid reductions from the United Kingdom, puts Gavi’s goal of immunizing 500 million children and saving over 8 million lives between 2026 and 2030 at risk.

The backlash against Gates is not limited to the funding crisis. Critics have accused him of wielding excessive influence over global health policy and promoting controversial initiatives, such as synthetic food development and vaccine mandates. Some allege that his philanthropic efforts come with strings attached or hidden agendas. However, supporters counter that Gates’s investments have saved countless lives and that his data-driven approach has been instrumental in driving down child mortality.

The debate reached a fever pitch at Gavi’s recent pledging summit in Brussels, where world leaders and donors scrambled to fill the funding gap left by the U.S. withdrawal. Health officials and global experts described the U.S. decision as a “travesty and a nightmare,” warning that it could result in hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths each year. Gates and other Gavi leaders reiterated their commitment to scientific rigor and child safety, vowing to continue their fight against preventable diseases despite mounting political and public scrutiny.