Senator Who Clashed with Dr. Fauci Proposes Financial Disclosure Bill

January 14, 2022 by Tom Ramstack
Senator Who Clashed with Dr. Fauci Proposes Financial Disclosure Bill
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., arrives for a vote on Capitol Hill, Nov. 1, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

WASHINGTON – A U.S. senator from Kansas who clashed with disease expert Anthony Fauci this week said he plans to introduce a bill intended to force more disclosure of personal finances onto highly-paid government employees. 

Sen. Roger Marshall is calling it the Financial Accountability for Uniquely Compensated Individuals Act.

It follows a dispute with Fauci during a hearing that sought an update on the U.S. COVID-19 response from the nation’s top epidemiologists.

Marshall and fellow Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky switched subjects to discuss how much the doctor was paid.

“As the highest-paid employee in the entire federal government, would you be willing to submit to Congress and the public a financial disclosure that includes your past and current investments?” Marshall asked. “After all, your colleague [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle] Walensky and every member of Congress submits a financial disclosure that includes their investments.”

Fauci told Marshall during a Senate hearing that his salary was public information that can be found in government records.

“All you have to do is ask for it,” Fauci said. “You’re so misinformed, it’s extraordinary.”

The Office of Government Ethics lists Fauci’s salary as $434,000 a year, surpassing the $400,000 annual salary of the president of the United States. Fauci has been a government employee for the past 55 of his 81 years.

Fauci later was caught on a hot mic saying in a low voice, “What a moron, Jesus Christ.”

Before announcing his plans for the FAUCI Act, Marshall said in a statement, “Calling me a moron during a Senate hearing may have alleviated the stress of the least trusted bureaucrat in America, but it didn’t take away from the facts.”

His bill would require the Office of Government Ethics to publish on its website the financial records of high-level government officials. It also would list government officials whose financial records are not public.

Fauci clashed with Sen. Paul during the same hearing after the Kentucky senator accused him of arrogance and refusing to listen to anyone else.

Fauci responded that Paul was trying to use the epidemiologist to get publicity for his political campaign. He also said Paul’s accusations incited the “crazies” who would harm him and his family.

The personal attacks were met the next day by an open letter from more than 200 American doctors and scientists defending Fauci. The letter called the Republican accusations “inaccurate, unscientific, ill-founded in the facts and, increasingly, motivated by partisan politics.”

“Dr. Anthony Fauci has served the USA with wisdom and integrity for nearly 40 years,” the letter says. “Through HIV, Ebola, and now COVID, he has unswervingly served the United States, guiding the country to very successful outcomes. He has our unreserved respect and trust as a scientist and a national leader.”

The signatories include former senator Dr. Bill Frist, Nobel-prize winning immunologist Dr. Harvey Alter and Nobel prize winning biologist Dr. David Baltimore.

Tom can be reached at [email protected].

A+
a-
  • Dr. Anthony Fauci
  • Financial Accountability for Uniquely Compensated Individuals Act
  • Rand Paul
  • Roger Marshall
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    U.S. Senate

    Senate Passes $1.2T Funding Package in Early Morning Vote

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President... Read More

    March 15, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Senate Told Growing Wildfire Threat Needs New Strategies

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has not, according to emergency response officials at a Senate hearing Thursday. At least not fast enough to prevent disasters like the fire that ravaged Maui in... Read More

    March 14, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Schumer Calls for New Elections in Israel

    WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, strongly criticizing Prime... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, strongly criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for becoming an obstacle to peace in the region. Speaking for roughly 40 minutes on the Senate floor, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official... Read More

    March 12, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Defense Analysts Say Threats to US Have Risen to Dangerous Levels

    WASHINGTON — Defense analysts repeated warnings Tuesday about a dangerous world the United States cannot afford to ignore in a... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Defense analysts repeated warnings Tuesday about a dangerous world the United States cannot afford to ignore in a second Senate hearing this week leading to a vote on an annual military budget. Russia is trying to expand its borders through war with Ukraine, China... Read More

    Senate Passes Bill to Compensate Americans Exposed to Radiation by the Government

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Thursday that would compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government by renewing a law... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Thursday that would compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government by renewing a law initially passed more than three decades ago. The bill by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., would expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act... Read More

    March 5, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Kyrsten Sinema Won’t Seek Reelection in Arizona

    WASHINGTON — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection this year, clearing the way for... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection this year, clearing the way for a likely matchup between Republican and Trump acolyte Kari Lake and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego. "The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic —... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top