Sen. Rand Paul proposes nixing Fauci's position as NIAID director, ​splitting it up between three new institutes

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has proposed an amendment that would nix the position of director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a role Dr. Anthony Fauci has occupied for more than three decades.

Under Paul's proposal, Fauci's role would be eliminated and replaced with three directors tasked with leading three new institutes: A National Institute of Allergic Diseases, a National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and a National Institute of Immunologic Diseases.

"To ensure that ineffective, unscientific lockdowns and mandates are never foisted on the American people ever again, I've introduced this amendment to eliminate Dr. Anthony Fauci's position as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and divide his power into three separate new institutes," Paul said, according to a press release. "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."

The three directors would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve five-year terms, with no limit on the number of terms they would be able to serve.

"No one person should have the sole authority to dictate science, especially when that one person wasn’t ever following the science. I’ve said that from the beginning, and I’ve been proven right over, and over, and over again. On masks, lockdowns, schools, natural immunity, all of it," Paul said in an opinion piece about the amendment.

Paul noted that the amendment will receive a vote this week.

Fauci, who has been a prominent and controversial public health figure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, began serving as the NIAID director in 1984. He is also currently serving as the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden.