Elon Musk hits back at Bill Gates' claim that DOGE cuts could lead to the deaths of children

Left: Bill Gates at The 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony held at Barker Hanger on April 05, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images) Right: Elon Musk, wearing two hats, speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) (Credit: Left to right: Gilbert Flores/Variety - Getty Images, R: JIM WATSON/AFP - Getty Images)

• Elon Musk rejected Bill Gates’s claim that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is endangering children’s lives by slashing USAID funding, calling Gates a liar and demanding evidence of harm. Gates and health advocates argue the cuts jeopardize vital HIV/AIDS services in places like Gaza, Mozambique, with Gates accusing Musk of failing to grasp the real-world consequences of DOGE’s cost-cutting.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has pushed back on Bill Gates’s claim that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will endanger the lives of millions of children.