Dr. Anthony Fauci is federal government’s highest-paid official

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• According to OpenTheBooks,  Fauci grossed $417,608 in 2019, an $18,000 increase from 2018.
• The Insider said a National Institutes of Health representative told them that $434,312 per year was Fauci’s current salary.
• In comparison, the expert has earned more than former president Trump who received only a salary of $400,000.

Currently, Dr. Anthony Fauci is the highest-paid amongst all employees in the U.S federal government, earning even more than the president.

The country’s chief infectious diseases expert, who also chairs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), got $417,608 in 2019. The data is the latest that the OpenTheBooks was able to retrieve under the Freedom of Information Act.

The salary is almost $18,000 higher than what Fauci received from 2018.

Data from the OpenTheBooks also showed that in 2019, at least three federal personnel, including Dr. Fauci, received higher remunerations than former President Donald Trump. According to the report, all were doctors employed by the Department Of Health And Human Services (HHS).

The report was first published by Forbes.

A spokesperson for the National Institutes of Health confirmed with Insider in December that Fauci’s annual salary was $434,312.

The president, in contrast, receives $400,000 a year, though the highest position in the land has several financial benefits, including living in the White House, plane and helicopter access, and provision of premium health insurance.

Under President Joe Biden’s term, Fauci will retain his directorial position at NIAID, and he will also serve as the main medical officer.

It was in 1984 when Dr. Fauci started serving the NIAID and has dealt with the Zika, Ebola, and AIDS pandemic. The expert also received several honorary doctorate degrees and was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom award for his response when AIDS plagued the country, but it was his management during the COVID-19 pandemic that has boosted his popularity.

With his position as the chair of the NIAID, a 20-hour daily work will be typical.

Source: Business Insider