Estimated Deaths from DOGE Cuts

Current estimates indicate that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts have resulted in approximately 300,000 global deaths, with over 200,000 being children. These figures stem from a model developed by Brooke Nichols, a global health expert at Boston University. The model attributes the deaths to abrupt funding reductions in USAID programs that previously addressed preventable conditions such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malnutrition.

Further projections suggest that if foreign aid is not reinstated by the end of 2025, an additional 176,000 deaths from HIV and 62,000 from tuberculosis could occur, as per Nichols' ongoing analysis.

Despite these findings, some officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have disputed the death toll, labeling such claims as false. However, fact-checking by The Washington Post has criticized this stance, highlighting substantial evidence linking the aid cuts to increased mortality.

While DOGE reports significant government savings, independent analyses question the accuracy of these claims and emphasize the severe human costs associated with the cuts.