Thursday, December 04, 2008

Bill Gates Prods Washington on Foreign Aid


In a speech yesterday, philanthropist Bill Gates urged lawmakers and the coming Obama administration to maintain U.S. investments in foreign-aid and education initiatives despite the financial crisis. Mr. Gates urged broad support for President-elect Barack Obama's pledge during the campaign to double U.S. foreign aid to $50 billion by 2012, saying: “If we can support the president as he stands by his pledge to the poorest nations- even in the face of our own financial crisis- it will make a phenomenal statement about the kind of partner America plans to be in the world.”

Source: The Wall Street Journal