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Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who in his effort to lead the response to Covid-19 became one of the most divisive public health figures in recent memory, announced he will step down later this year. Fauci, who has led the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 38 years, told POLITICO on Monday that leaving his government post was “bittersweet” but he was also excited for what comes next. (Lim, Cancryn, Gardner and Ward, 8/22)

The announcement by Dr. Fauci, 81, was not entirely unexpected. He has hinted for some time that he was thinking of retiring, saying last month that he would “almost certainly” do so by 2025. In an interview Sunday evening, he said he was “not retiring in the classic sense” but would devote himself to traveling, writing and encouraging young people to enter government service. “So long as I’m healthy, which I am, and I’m energetic, which I am, and I’m passionate, which I am, I want to do some things outside of the realm of the federal government,” Dr. Fauci said in the interview, adding that he wanted to use his experience and insight into public health and public service to “hopefully inspire the younger generation.” (Stolberg, 8/22)

He joined the National Institutes of Health in 1968 as a 27-year-old doctor who had just finished medical residency and was quickly identified as a rising star. Most recently, Fauci has also served as President Biden’s chief medical adviser since the start of his administration. Fauci’s tenure as director of the infectious-diseases institute made him an adviser to seven presidents and put him on the front lines of every modern-day scourge, including AIDS, the 2001 anthrax scares, Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus pandemic. During the nearly four decades Fauci led the agency, it grew from a little-known institute with a $350 million annual budget to a globally recognized powerhouse with a budget exceeding $6 billion. (Abutaleb, 8/22)

“I’ve been able to call him at any hour of the day for his advice,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.” (Neergaard and Miller, 8/22)

In addition to his role as Mr. Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of NIAID’s Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He will step down from all three roles. ... Dr. Fauci’s departure will add to the list of empty health posts within the Biden administration. The White House is currently weighing candidates to direct ARPA-H, a new entity meant to speed health research and collaborate with the private sector, and to replace Dr. Francis Collins, the former NIH director. (Restuccia and Whyte, 8/22)

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. I am very proud of our many accomplishments. I have worked with — and learned from — countless talented and dedicated people in my own laboratory, at NIAID, at NIH and beyond. To them I express my abiding respect and gratitude. (Anthony S. Fauci, 8/22)

Soon after Anthony Fauci announced he will be stepping down in December, White House chief of staff Ron Klain hailed the doctor: "I cannot think of a public servant who has done as much to save as many lives for as long a period as Dr. Tony Fauci. And he is a gem of a person." Just as quickly, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted that Fauci was giving up his post as President Biden’s chief medical adviser "likely to avoid being questioned by a GOP controlled house on how he got everything so wrong for so long!" The dueling narratives were under way. (Kurtz, 8/23)

"Dr. Fauci is conveniently resigning from his position in December before House Republicans have an opportunity to hold him accountable for destroying our country over these past three years," Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted, adding that Fauci will be held accountable whether or not he remains in public office. "This guy is a coward." ... Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has had multiple public squabbles with Fauci, pledged Monday to conduct "a full-throated investigation into the origins of the pandemic" regardless of Fauci's impending departure."[Fauci] will be asked to testify under oath regarding any discussions he participated in concerning the lab leak," Paul tweeted. (Mordowanec, 8/22)