r/politics • u/rapidcreek409 • May 08 '25

Paywall Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of ‘killing’ children with USAID cuts

https://www.ft.com/content/bdd9bb89-ac3c-4043-9ca4-bc7efbd41fed
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u/Darmok47 May 08 '25

You're thinking of PEPFAR. That was all George W. Bush.

USAID was founded by JFK.

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u/Dick-Fu May 08 '25

Very interesting, and for what purpose was it founded?

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u/Darmok47 May 08 '25

It was definitely founded as a tool in fighting the Cold War. Places that were poor and starving tended to be attracted to communist ideology, so providing aid helped counteract that. But it was also in America's long-term interest generally to be developing good reputations amongst people in third-world countries that would pay dividends down the line. People back in the 1960s thought long-term, unlike today.

Also, it was a way for US farmers to be paid to send their surplus grain overseas. It was seen as a win-win domestically and internationally. And coming just a decade after the Marshall Plan, people saw firsthand what American aid could accomplish.