The #FireFauci effort may have ties to Massachusetts, but so does a proposal to stop the fringe movement in its tracks.

Sen. Ed Markey unveiled legislation Tuesday to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to fire National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has risen to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic as the federal government’s top — and most trusted — expert on infectious diseases.

“Educating the public about the science and the facts that will save lives is not, and should never be, a firing offense,” Markey said in a statement Tuesday.

The relatively simple bill would close what the Massachusetts senator says is a “hole in the law” allowing the president to fire any directors at the National Institutes of Health, including the NIAID, for any reason and insert language that says they can only be fired “on the basis of malfeasance by, neglect of office by, or incapacity of the director.”


“Our response to the coronavirus crisis must be based on science, on data, and on the truth,” Markey said. “We cannot allow Donald Trump to silence Dr. Fauci or any other government scientists. Now more than ever, we must listen to our public health, medical, and scientific experts. If Donald Trump doesn’t like science-based evidence because it doesn’t support his partisan, fact-free view of the world, he cannot be permitted to silence the truth-tellers.”

The proposal comes after Trump retweeted a message Sunday night that included the #FireFauci hashtag, criticizing the longtime NIAID director for agreeing during a CNN interview that the Trump administration “could have saved lives” if they had acted earlier on health officials’ recommendations to implement social distancing and stay-at-home measures.

Trump — who has seen record turnover in his administration and recently fired two top oversight officials— also reportedly spent the Easter holiday weekend asking advisers what they thought of Fauci, who has attracted his own cult following in the midst of the pandemic, along with specious criticism from certain pro-Trump loyalists, as Politico recently reported.

However, during a press conference Monday night, Trump denied that he was thinking about firing Fauci.

“I walk in and I hear I’m going to fire him,” Trump said. “I’m not firing. I think he’s a wonderful guy.”


White House officials attributed the speculation to “media chatter,” as The Washington Post reported.

“Dr. Fauci has been and remains a trusted advisor to President Trump,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said.

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