Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) took on National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci in a scathing USA Today op-ed published on Thursday.
“Fauci and company have relied on models that were later found to be deficient. He even has suggested that he can’t rely on any of the models, especially if the underlying assumptions are wrong. Yet, Fauci persists in advocating policies that have emasculated the medical care system and ruined the economy,” the members of Congress wrote.
“Fauci claims his message has been consistent, but it is contrary to that of the administration he works for.”
Fauci has been a leading advocate of continued lockdown policies, contradicting President Trump, who has called for the United States to reopen. He has largely ignored the impact of lockdown policies on the lives of ordinary Americans, instead seeking to shape national coronavirus policy to suit academic and bureaucratic ends.
“It’s inconvenient from a societal standpoint, from an economic standpoint to go through this,” Fauci said two months ago.
Biggs and Paul challenged Fauci on understating the severe consequences of the lockdown.
“How come he is so understated when it comes to compassion for the people whose lives have been wrecked by his policies but so demonstrative when trying to scare the American people?” they questioned.
“As a medical bureaucrat in far-away Washington, perhaps he cannot empathize with the millions of Americans who have already closed down their businesses or are poised to lose them and their life savings, and who have seen their retirement funds depleted as the economy soured.”
Biggs and Paul concluded by urging readers to stand with President Trump and against career bureaucrats such as Fauci, in order to restore the struggling American economy.
“President Trump has expressed a desire to restore our economic greatness and the positives that come with it — including better public health — by opening up our communities,” they wrote. “We must forge ahead even as Fauci tries to brush away the optimism of the president and the American people.”
The President shut down our country and brought the resulting consequences upon us. He is responsible for who he gets advice from. I, a mere citizen, did a small amount of research at the beginning and after reviewing the current data at the time concluded this was not a pandemic as the WHO was propagating and I followed the data which never came near a pandemic state. A leader doesn’t make decisions from advisers who have no data to back their recommendations and use continued language as “We don’t know” We won’t know until we do more testing” We need more data to know more about this virus.” Shut a whole country down with recommendations based on nothing? It’s all a sham. Their all buds, like watching the wrestling matches which after their public display of “good guy vs bad guy” they all go eat enchiladas and have a beer together. BTW, he didn’t do a very good job at playing dumb while following the “experts.” All theatrics. Very UN-presidential…and I voted for him.