A taxpayer-funded museum exhibit dedicated to Dr. Anthony Fauci will no longer move forward after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) stepped in to cut unnecessary federal spending. The $170,000 project, set to be housed in the National Museum of Health and Medicine, was one of dozens of contracts eliminated in a recent budget review.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had previously allocated funds for the exhibit, but DOGE’s audit flagged the spending as part of a broader effort to eliminate administrative waste. In total, the agency terminated 62 contracts, saving taxpayers $182 million.
Elon Musk, who oversees DOGE, confirmed that none of the cuts affected healthcare programs but instead targeted expenses that served no essential public function. The Fauci museum project stood out as a particularly outrageous example, given how controversial his pandemic-era policies remain.
Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for decades, has been widely criticized for his role in extended lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and school closures. Despite this, government officials had approved taxpayer funding to honor him in a museum exhibit.
The move to defund the project follows another financial decision targeting Fauci—his taxpayer-funded security detail was recently revoked by President Donald Trump. Additionally, state attorneys general have launched an investigation into Fauci’s actions, questioning whether his pandemic policies violated state laws.
As DOGE continues its review of government spending, more federally funded projects could soon meet the same fate as the now-canceled Fauci museum exhibit.
