Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has strongly criticized Elon Musk for gutting foreign aid programs under his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, particularly targeting the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Gates warned the cuts could lead to millions of preventable deaths, especially in vulnerable regions that rely on U.S.-funded health initiatives.

Musk, now part of the Trump administration, boasted of eliminating USAID by “feeding it to the woodchipper.” This move disrupted countless NGO operations, with some contracts canceled outright and others restored only after global outcry.

In an interview with Fareed Zakaria, Gates said he initially hoped Musk’s role would modernize government using AI and efficiency reforms. “If that’s what it had been, it’s praiseworthy,” he noted. But the result was indiscriminate slashing of life-saving programs. “80% cuts are not reform. They’re destruction,” Gates warned.

He also rejected Musk’s false claims—such as the U.S. allegedly spending $50 billion on condoms for Gaza—and rebuked his portrayal of aid workers as “radical lunatics.” Gates called them “heroes” who form the humanitarian face of America.

Gates, who plans to donate nearly all his wealth and close the Gates Foundation in 20 years, emphasized the urgency. “We’re in a global health emergency,” he said, lamenting that both U.S. and European countries are pulling back aid.

The long-simmering feud between the two billionaires—who once clashed over philanthropy—has now escalated into a broader ideological battle over America’s global responsibilities.