Tuberville and Paul Introduce bill to make national research institute directors subject to Senate confirmation

February 25, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) joined U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) to introduce the NIH Reform Act to increase congressional oversight on leadership at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The NIH Reform Act would separate the NIAID into three national research institutes: the National Institute of Allergic Diseases, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Immunologic Diseases.

Each of these new institute would be led by directors subject to Senate confirmation and limited to no more than two five-year-terms. Tuberville said that this would prevent the unchecked authority that led to disastrous mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic at the command of long time NAID Director Anthony Fauci.

"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 Senator Tuberville. "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."

"For nearly four decades, Dr. Anthony Fauci sat atop a bureaucratic empire, wielding unchecked power over public health policy-despite never being confirmed by the Senate once," said Senator. Paul, a medical doctor himself. "He dictated mandates that shut down businesses, kept kids out of school, and trampled individual liberties-all while being the highest-paid official in the federal government. That kind of power without oversight is dangerous, and my legislation will ensure it never happens again. This legislation will bring 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."

U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) has introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dr. Anthony Fauci was Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for over 38 years-longer than J. Edgar Hoover was Director of the FBI. By the time he retired, he was the highest paid official in the entire federal government. Yet the Senate never voted to confirm him once. Current law does not require Senate confirmation of the NIAID Director.