A planned museum exhibit dedicated to Dr. Anthony Fauci has been canceled after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified it as an unnecessary use of taxpayer money. The exhibit, which was set to cost nearly $170,000, was among 62 government contracts recently eliminated, saving taxpayers a total of $182 million.
The exhibit was intended for the National Museum of Health and Medicine and would have celebrated Fauci’s long tenure in government, despite his controversial role in pandemic-related policies. The funding had been approved under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before DOGE intervened to stop the project.
Elon Musk, who leads DOGE, questioned why taxpayer money was ever allocated for a tribute to Fauci, calling the spending tone-deaf given the economic hardship many Americans faced due to policies he promoted. The museum project was quietly in development before DOGE shut it down as part of its review of excessive federal spending.
The move to cancel the exhibit follows another major change affecting Fauci—President Donald Trump recently revoked his government-funded security detail, cutting off another taxpayer-funded expense linked to the former health official.
Despite receiving a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden, Fauci is still being investigated by multiple state attorneys general who are examining his role in pandemic-related policies. The ongoing legal scrutiny has only added to the controversy surrounding the now-canceled exhibit.
DOGE continues to review government spending, with officials warning that additional projects may face cancellation if they do not serve a clear public benefit.
