Story highlights Melinda Gates: Trump administration proposes cuts to foreign aid that has headed off epidemics, made US more secure

She says the money the US spends on foreign aid is a key long-term investment in Americans themselves

Melinda Gates is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The views expressed are her own.

(CNN) One of the first lessons we learned when we started our foundation was a humbling one: Our resources are only a drop in the bucket compared with the needs around the world, and only a small percentage of what governments spend each year to help meet those needs.

Melinda Gates

That's why I spend a lot of my time visiting government officials all over the world to talk about how we can work together to leverage other donors, and encourage developed and developing countries to drive progress against poverty, disease and inequality.

And it is why I am deeply concerned about the White House announcement that its budget proposal includes cuts to US foreign aid that would threaten the very progress so many are working so hard to achieve.

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Still, after more than a decade and a half running our foundation, I am deeply aware that budgeting finite resources always requires difficult decisions — so I understand why some Americans ask why US taxpayer dollars should go overseas when there is so much need within our own borders. The facts are this: Less than 1% of the US federal budget goes to aid, and the dollars spent abroad reap dividends for our country, too.