Dr. Anthony Fauci is set to earn a pension larger than President Joe Biden’s salary upon his retirement, further rendering him the highest-paid federal employee in American history, according to a Thursday report from Open The Books.
The government transparency nonprofit calculated that Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and works as Chief Medical Advisor to the president, will receive a $414,667 annual pension payout upon his retirement after Biden’s first term concludes. Because Fauci received a 5% salary increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 5.4% increase from 2021 to 2022, a conservative estimate of two more 5% increases leave him with a final salary of over $530,000.
Fauci, who has worked in the federal government for 59 years, currently earns more than National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, as well as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra — both of whom make $203,500 per year. President Biden earns $400,000 per year, while members of Congress earn $174,000 per year and Chief Justice John Roberts earns $258,100.
Median household income was $67,521 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, implying that Fauci will earn more than six times what the average American family does.
Fauci told Politico earlier this week that he expects COVID to remain with the global population for several years. “We’re in a pattern now. If somebody says, ‘You’ll leave when we don’t have Covid anymore,’ then I will be 105,” he argued. “I think we’re going to be living with this.”
In any case, Fauci said that most Americans no longer heed his advice.
“It’s becoming more and more difficult to get people to listen, because even the people who are compliant want this behind them,” Fauci said. “What I try to convince them, with my communication method, is we’re not asking you to dramatically alter your lifestyle. We’re not asking you to really interfere with what you do with your life. We’re just asking you to consider some simple, doable mitigation methods.”
Fauci also expects Republicans — who will likely win the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate this year — to target him politically. “They’re going to try and come after me, anyway,” Fauci said. “I mean, probably less so if I’m not in the job.”
Indeed, Fauci has faced criticism for his agency’s alleged use of gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In a hearing earlier this year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) pressed Fauci on the origins of COVID.
“What happens when he gets out and accuses me of things that are completely untrue,” Fauci responded to the panel, “is that all of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there and I have threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children with obscene phone calls, because people are lying about me.”
Paul told The Daily Wire earlier this year that Fauci’s rebuke was irresponsible.
“Anyone who dares to question Fauci’s smear campaign against other scientists is accused by Fauci of fomenting violence,” he explained. “As someone who actually was the target of semiautomatic gunfire by a Bernie Sanders supporter, I never once accused Senator Sanders of being responsible for the attack and I resent Fauci avoiding the question by ginning up the idea that his opponents are the cause of threats.”