The urge of MP Marjorie Taylor Greene, Dr. Removing Anthony Fauci from his post of director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is made up of up to 16 co-sponsors, most of their bills, but they are unlikely to succeed in Congress.
Greene, a controversial figure in Congress, has targeted Fauci, a longtime adviser to the president, since late last year. She has grappled with his evolving stance on public health action and has urged that he be examined and discharged for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
With 16 co-sponsors, their bill, the Fire Fauci Act, is their most co-sponsored piece of legislation, according to Congress.gov. Originally associated with 15 co-sponsors under the Second Amendment Preservation Act, the anti-Fauci legislation received a 16th co-sponsor in late September when Rep. Michael Cloud, a Republican from Texas, signed it.
Although the bill was known as the Fire Fauci Act, it would not quit his job. Instead, it would reduce the NIAID’s director’s salary to $ 0 until a new director is appointed by the president and approved by the Senate.
The bill, introduced in April, would also start a review of Fauci’s emails, policy statements and financial transactions from October 1, 2019 through December 31. A report on the results of the audit would then be submitted to Congress.
MP Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Fire Fauci Act has become her most sponsored act. Greene speaks during a press conference in her office in the Longworth House Office Building with a poster of the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci nearby on Capitol Hill July 20 in Washington, DC
Alex Wong / Getty Images
Greene’s bill specifically looked at Fauci’s salary, claiming he had “given Americans no specific information” about the pandemic. It evoked his evolving attitude towards wearing masks, which he initially thought was unnecessary for those who were not at high risk and did not feel sick, but later supported the wearing of universal masks.
Fauci denied doing anything inappropriate during the COVID-19 pandemic and has stated many times that his recommendations have changed to reflect increasing knowledge about SARS-CoV-2. Originally it was believed that there was little asymptomatic transmission, making wearing a universal mask unnecessary.
Greene also disagrees with Fauci’s assessment that the response to the pandemic is vaccination and public health measures, rather than one or the other, and that preventive measures such as wearing masks and social distancing will be necessary well into 2022 could.
America has seen a resurgence of spikes in COVID-19 cases as the highly transmissible Delta variant caught on in the country, causing additional deaths and hospitals to become overwhelmed. As with other waves, the falls begin to decline about two months after they started. Sunday was the fourth straight week the country experienced a downturn in cases, but Fauci warned against being complicit.
On Sunday, Fauci told CBS News’ Face the Nation that it is “too early to say” whether people should restrict who to see for the winter vacation. He advocated focusing like a “laser” on further reducing cases, which can be achieved by vaccinating the unvaccinated and giving booster doses to those who are eligible.
While Biden was hoping boosters would be widely available in September, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only advised giving them to people over 65 or under 65 but at high risk for development a serious illness or a front-line worker.
Fauci’s comment that it was “too early” to pass judgment on Christmas sparked criticism from many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. The NIAID director pushed back criticism, Christopher said Politico’s Cadelago, who posted on Twitter that Fauci said he would spend Christmas with his family, encouraged people, especially those who are vaccinated, to have a “good, normal Christmas”.
Although Greene’s bill continues to gain co-sponsors, it is unlikely to find enough support to become law. Republicans are outnumbered in both the House and Senate, and even if there are enough Democrats to sign it, Biden is unlikely to sign it as he continues to support Fauci as a leading expert on infectious diseases.
Greene has agreed to swap her vote on the Infrastructure Act for support from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on several counts, including the Fire Fauci Act.
Newsweek reached out to Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for comment but did not receive a timely response for publication.
