Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder, has taken a proactive stance in lobbying the Trump administration to maintain funding for global health programs, according to sources cited by Reuters.

With the U.S. government historically playing a pivotal role in international health initiatives, Gates has warned that his foundation cannot single-handedly fill the financial void left by recent cuts. This plea comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, which, since his January 20, 2025, inauguration, has led to the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), slashing over 80% of its contracts and freezing billions in aid.

Gates has been meeting with key figures, including National Security Council members and lawmakers from both parties, to emphasize the critical impact of U.S. funding on programs like childhood vaccination and HIV treatment. His discussions spotlight organizations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which receives approximately $300 million annually from the U.S., and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, supported by over $1 billion yearly. These entities, now under review by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump, are vital to global health efforts but face uncertainty as the administration reassesses foreign aid priorities.

A Gates Foundation spokesperson confirmed his recent Washington D.C. visits, underscoring the need for a strategic approach to protect vulnerable populations while ensuring U.S. health security. However, Gates has made it clear that even the Foundation’s substantial resources—boasting an annual budget exceeding $8 billion—cannot replace government-level support.

Priorities like polio eradication and malaria control, long championed by Gates, are particularly at risk. As the Trump administration evaluates around 30 global health projects, the potential rollback of U.S. contributions could force the Foundation to make tough decisions about sustaining these initiatives, highlighting the limits of private philanthropy in the face of shifting national policies.