US Aid Cuts Linked to Hundreds of Thousands of Potential Deaths, Models Show
Public health models project that cuts to USAID, spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), could result in over 780,000 deaths, primarily among children.
According to an article in The Verge, public health models indicate that actions by Elon Musk, through his role at the Department of Government Efficiency, may have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. A tracker co-created by Boston University professor Brooke Nichols projects over 780,000 deaths, primarily from malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and other diseases, due to the Trump administration’s early-2025 cuts to USAID. Research published in Nature projects 163,500 child deaths annually, while The Lancet forecasts millions more.
Musk, who led DOGE, called USAID a “criminal organization” and boasted about “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” During a televised White House cabinet meeting, he joked about “accidentally” canceling Ebola prevention, but whistleblower Nicholas Enrich testified that the issue was never fixed. Africa now faces potentially the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Enrich also stated that the HIV rate among newborns was nearly zero until Musk intervened.
The article also mentions Musk’s racist comments, including claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa and stirring anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK. Former Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles described Musk as a “complete solo actor” who likely knew his actions would horrify others but proceeded anyway. The Cato Institute found that DOGE barely saved any money, only reducing federal employment by 9% over 10 months while depleting expertise and capability.
Musk still relies on federal contracts for SpaceX, and his projects like X and AI initiatives continue to spread misinformation and child sexual abuse material. The article concludes that the world needs saving from Musk.
