On Monday, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., joined U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, in introducing the NIH Reform Act to completely overhaul the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
NIAID is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the institute’s official website, “NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases. For more than 60 years, NIAID research has led to new therapies, vaccines, diagnostic tests, and other technologies that have improved the health of millions of people in the United States and around the world.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, NIAID played a crucial role in researching and developing successful treatments and vaccines to fight the virus.
However, in an official press release, Sen. Tuberville claimed that the institute had “unchecked authority that led to disastrous mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The senator’s NIH Reform Act would divide NIAID into three separate institutes: the National Institute of Allergic Diseases, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Immunologic Diseases.
Currently, the Director of NIAID is appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a member of the president’s cabinet. Under the NIH Reform Act, each new institute would be led by directors subject to confirmation by the Senate and limited to a maximum of two five-year-terms.
Tuberville and Paul’s motivations for dismantling the current structure of NIAID appear directly tied to their disapproval of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served as the institute’s director from 1984 to 2022. During that time, Fauci also served as the Chief Medical Advisor to the president. Fauci is one of the most frequently cited authors in the fields of immunology and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and numerous other awards recognizing his expertise in medical science.
However, Fauci has also become an apparent scapegoat for President Trump and his allies who blame him for the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic during Trump’s time in office.
“Anthony Fauci single-handedly shut down small businesses, forced our children out of classrooms, and took away the opportunity for many Americans to say goodbye to loved ones during the COVID pandemic,” said Tuberville in his official statement announcing the NIH Reform Act. “It’s scary to think that someone who was never elected – or even confirmed by the Senate – had so much power over health care decisions that impacted millions of Americans. We need greater transparency in our government’s institutions to ensure this never happens again. I’m proud to join Senator Paul in this legislation to increase oversight of the NIH and give the American people greater transparency surrounding our government institutions.”
Tuberville’s portrayal of Fauci as being solely responsible for the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic comes just a month after President Trump removed Fauci’s federal security detail. Trump made that decision despite reports that Fauci has faced numerous credible death threats since leaving public office.
Additionally, Tuberville’s criticism of Fauci and other NIAID directors for not going through the congressional confirmation process sharply contrasts with his own praise for the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and Trump’s largest 2024 campaign donor, who was never confirmed by Congress.
“This type of reorganization is nothing new. In the aftermath of J. Edgar Hoover’s decades-long tenure as head of the FBI, Congress passed a law in 1976 limiting the FBI Director to a single 10-year term, and as recently as 2012, Congress eliminated one center within the NIH and replaced it with a new one,” Tuberville’s press release concludes. “In the aftermath of the damage done by pandemic-era mandates and restrictions, Congress must enact the NIH Reform Act to ensure that one official cannot claim the unquestioned authority to dictate the federal response to public health emergencies.”
