DOGE cancels $180M in HHS contracts, scraps Fauci museum exhibit amid government waste crackdown
By isabelle // 2025-02-11
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  • Elon Musk's DOGE canceled $180M in HHS contracts, including a $168K Fauci museum exhibit, targeting administrative waste unrelated to healthcare programs.
  • The Fauci exhibit, planned for 2024-2025, aimed to honor his 54-year career but faced backlash due to his polarizing COVID-19 policies and allegations of misleading Congress.
  • DOGE's broader efforts under Musk have saved billions by scrutinizing federal spending, including reforms to NIH grant processes saving $4B annually.
  • The cancellation reflects a push for government accountability, with critics arguing taxpayer funds should not honor controversial figures like Fauci.
As part of its efforts to curb government waste, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has canceled more than $180 million in contracts from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including a controversial $168,000 allocation for a museum exhibit honoring Dr. Anthony Fauci. The cuts, announced Friday, targeted 62 contracts over 48 hours, all of which were deemed administrative expenses unrelated to healthcare programs. The decision has reignited debates over government spending and Fauci’s legacy, which remains deeply polarizing after his role in the COVID-19 pandemic and allegations of misleading Congress. The Fauci exhibit, planned for the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland, was set to highlight the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director’s 54-year career in federal service. However, Fauci’s legacy is tarnished by his handling of the pandemic, including his advocacy for stringent lockdowns, mask mandates, and vaccine requirements that led to the dismissal of unvaccinated military personnel.

A legacy marred by controversy

Fauci’s career, which began at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1968, was once celebrated for his work on HIV/AIDS. However, his reputation took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he became a lightning rod for criticism over his support for aggressive public health measures. His credibility was further damaged by allegations that he misled Congress about U.S. funding for gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the lab suspected of being the origin of the COVID-19 virus. In May 2021, Fauci testified before the Senate that the NIH “not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.” Yet, emails revealed that Fauci, along with NIH head Dr. Francis Collins and EcoHealth Alliance president Dr. Peter Daszak, had discussed funding for experiments involving bat coronaviruses in Wuhan prior to the pandemic. A 520-page report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concluded that Fauci’s testimony was “at a minimum, misleading.” Despite these revelations, Fauci avoided legal consequences after former President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon on his final day in office, shielding Fauci from potential prosecution.

Government waste under scrutiny

The cancellation of the Fauci exhibit is part of a broader effort by DOGE to eliminate wasteful government spending. Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE has targeted multiple federal agencies, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. The $168,000 earmarked for the Fauci exhibit was just one of many questionable expenditures uncovered by the department. “These contracts were entirely for administrative expenses—none touched any healthcare programs,” DOGE stated in a social media post. The post included a screenshot of the funding allocation for the Fauci exhibit, which was scheduled to run from July 2024 to July 2025. The cancellation of the Fauci exhibit comes as DOGE continues to scrutinize federal spending. Last week, Musk’s team gained access to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a major distributor of healthcare payments, where they identified potential areas for reform. “Yeah, this is where the big money fraud is happening,” Musk remarked. The NIH has also announced reforms to its grant process, reducing the maximum indirect cost rate for research institutions from over 60% to 15%, a change expected to save taxpayers $4 billion annually. The decision to scrap the Fauci museum exhibit underscores a growing push for accountability in government spending. Taxpayer dollars should not be spent honoring a figure whose actions during the pandemic remain deeply controversial, and it's promising that the Trump administration is taking such a strong stance against wasteful government spending. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk NYPost.com FoxNews.com
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