Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is sponsoring legislation to prohibit federal bureaucrats from receiving cash prizes, a move that follows his public criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci for accumulating over $1 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hawley's proposed bill, the "No Cash Prizes for Bureaucrats Act," seeks to close loopholes in existing federal laws that he argues allow government employees to solicit and accept such awards. "No federal bureaucrat should accept cash prizes while on the job," Hawley stated. "Fauci got rich while millions of people died. It can never happen again."
During a Senate hearing, Hawley asserted that Fauci, while serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), allegedly used federal employees to solicit at least eight cash awards, with one award alone totaling $900,000. Public records cited by Hawley indicate that these solicitations occurred while Fauci was in his official capacity.
The proposed legislation would bar federal employees from receiving rewards for achievements in medicine and research, and would also prohibit them from soliciting these awards. It aims to strengthen regulations already in place that prevent National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials from utilizing official duty time or subordinate staff to pursue personal awards.
These legislative efforts emerged after a contentious hearing where Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination over 100 times when questioned by senators. Hawley directly questioned Fauci about his financial gains during the pandemic, stating, "You were using federal employees with taxpayer money to apply for and solicit cash prizes for you personally, cash prizes totaling over $1 million."
Fauci's responses to Hawley's inquiries were consistently, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."
Hawley referenced internal emails he claimed were from Fauci's staff, including one from former chief of staff Greg Folkers, which discussed bolstering the COVID-19 section of a nomination for the Dan David Prize. According to Hawley, this prize carried a $900,000 cash award. He alleged that Fauci used government staff and resources to pursue at least eight other cash awards from organizations such as the Partnership for Public Service, the Adelson Prize, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Academy of Medicine, and the CDC Foundation.