On Thursday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Representative Chip Roy. (R-TX) introduced the “NIH Reform Act” in order to “eliminate” Dr. Anthony Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
The federal health agency would be replaced with three separate national research institutes led by directors who would be accountable to the Senate and limited to two 5-year terms.
“We’ve learned a lot over the past few years, but one lesson in particular is that no one person should be deemed ‘dictator-in-chief.’ No one person should have unilateral authority to make decisions for millions of Americans,” said Senator Paul, himself a physician, in a press release.
“To ensure that ineffective, unscientific lockdowns and mandates are never foisted on the American people ever again, I’ve introduced this bill to eliminate Dr. Anthony Fauci’s previous position as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and divide the role into three separate new institutes,” Paul went on to say.
“This will create accountability and oversight into a taxpayer funded position that has largely abused its power and has been responsible for many failures and misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Representative Roy commented, “From the earliest days of the pandemic, unaccountable public health bureaucracies proved themselves far more adept at ruining lives than saving them.”
“Never again should a single individual, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, wield unchecked power and influence over the lives of the American people,” he added.
“Breaking up Dr. Fauci’s taxpayer funded bully pulpit into three separate agencies — and requiring Senate confirmation for all their future directors — is one of many actions necessary to allow the American people to hold public health agencies accountable.”
The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).
Read the full bill below:
