(LEX 18) — Sen. Rand Paul has introduced an amendment that would eliminate Dr. Anthony Fauci's position as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Under Sen. Paul's amendment, Dr. Fauci's position would be immediately eliminated. It would be replaced with the following institutes, all with their own director:
- National Institute of Allergic Diseases
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases
- National Institute of Immunologic Diseases
Each of these three institutes will be led by a director who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for a 5-year term.
"We've learned a lot over the past two years, but one lesson in particular is that no one person should be deemed 'dictator-in-chief,' said Sen. Paul. "No one person should have unilateral authority to make decisions for millions of Americans."
Sen. Paul says he introduced the amendment to ensure lockdowns and mandates "are never foisted on the American people ever again." He says dividing the power into the three separate institutes would create more accountability and oversight.
In 2012, Congress passed a law that eliminated the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and reassigned some of its programs to a new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), and assigned other NCRR functions to other institutes within NIH. Sen. Paul's amendment would keep this precedent of reorganization in place.
Paul and Fauci are known for their clashes on Capitol Hill. Sen. Paul has previously accused Fauci of funding research at a Chinese lab that could have sparked the COVID-19 outbreak.
"I have not lied before Congress. I have never lied. Certainly not before Congress. Case closed," Fauci said at the time. "If anybody is lying here, senator, it is you."
You can read more about the amendment here.
