Fauci Making Millions During COVID Pandemic Sparks Backlash

Anthony Fauci, the White House's chief medical adviser during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his wife saw their net worth go up $5 million from before the start of the health crisis through 2021, according to financial disclosures from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The infectious diseases expert gained notoriety during the pandemic, serving under both former President Donald Trump and later President Joe Biden. He was both revered and maligned, often based on political grounds as well as people's views of the COVID vaccines and mask mandates, and he sparred with critical members of Congress during hearings.

NIH financial records obtained by the website OpenTheBooks show that the couple's net worth increased by approximately $5 million from 2019 through 2021, from about $7.6 million to over $12.6 million. Fauci and his wife, Christine Grady, a bioethicist who heads the Bioethics Department at the NIH Clinical Center, had a net worth that exceeded $11 million in 2022, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

Fauci also earned a salary that exceeded that of Biden and four-star generals, OpenTheBooks found, totaling $456,000 and $480,000 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, he retired from NIAID in December 2022 after heading the institute since 1984.

Newsweek reached out via email to Fauci through the NIAID for comment.

Beyond his salary, Fauci also earned income from outside groups, such as the Israel-based Dan David Foundation, which in 2021 awarded him $901,400 for "speaking truth to power" and "defending science" during the Trump administration.

The $2.82 million he earned in 2021 came from a mix of federal income and benefits totaling $903,497, outside awards and royalties totaling $1,019,205 and investment gains totaling $910,174.

"During the pandemic years, the Faucis became deca-millionaires, with their household net worth exceeding $10 million," OpenTheBooks CEO Adam Andrzejewski told Fox News. "Last year was a tough year in the markets. However, Fauci's net worth is still up sharply from $7.6 million in 2019."

Fauci is estimated to be collecting a federal pension that rivals a presidential salary, Andrzejewski added, calling it "the largest federal retirement package in history."

"He's responsible for the most disastrous, idiotic health policies in living memory, and he retires from govt a multi-millionaire with a cushy teaching post at Georgetown," wrote conservative commentator Buck Sexton on X (formerly Twitter). "Fauci is a uniquely loathsome con man, who has gotten away with it once again.

In June of this year, Georgetown University announced that Fauci would join the faculty as a distinguished professor in the school's Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, which provides clinical care, conducts research and trains future physicians in infectious diseases.

Newsweek reached out to Georgetown University via email for comment.

During a recent sit-down with Sirius XM's Megyn Kelly, Trump was criticized for making Fauci a "star" during the pandemic even though, Kelly said, he was "loathed by millions of Republicans." She also questioned Trump about a presidential commendation for Fauci's service.

On January 19, 2021, just before leaving office, Trump gave a presidential commendation to Fauci and others associated with Operation Warp Speed, the administration's COVID vaccination initiative. Others commended were White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator.

Trump's interview with Kelly was remarked on by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who called Trump's remarks "drivel." DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, has been critical of Fauci's handling of the pandemic.

In September 2022, Fauci and his wife received an award for exemplary public service by the Catholic group Ignatian Volunteer Corps of the National Capital Area.