Fauci’s resignation to take effect in December.
QUICK FACTS:
- Dr. Anthony Fauci announced this week that he will step down from his position as the White House chief medical advisor.
- Fauci said he is also resigning as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
- “While I am moving on from my current positions, I am not retiring,” Fauci stressed before going on to say that “after more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field.”
- The White House advisor said that during his last months in office he would “continue to put my full effort, passion and commitment into my current responsibilities, as well as help prepare the Institute for a leadership transition.”
- Biden responded to the news of Fauci’s resignation, crediting the doctor with leading his administration’s COVID-19 response, saying that he has “been able to call [Fauci] at any hour of the day for his advice as we’ve tackled this once-in-a-generation pandemic.”
FAUCI’S STATEMENT IN PART:
- “I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden,” Fauci said in a statement Monday.
- “I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” the NIH director said when announcing his resignation.
- “It has been the honor of a lifetime to have led the NIAID, an extraordinary institution, for so many years and through so many scientific and public health challenges,” Fauci said. “I am very proud of our many accomplishments.”
- “I am particularly proud to have served as the Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden since the very first day of his administration,” Fauci said.
BACKGROUND:
- During his career, Fauci served as the director of the NIAID for 38 years and has worked under seven presidents, starting his career under the Reagan administration.
- Fauci led the NIAID as they attempt to find answers to HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus, the anthrax attacks, pandemic influenza, various bird influenza threats, Ebola and Zika, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Republicans have asserted that Fauci’s resignation will not keep Republicans from investigating and potentially prosecuting his work in government.
