WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) praised Dr. Anthony Fauci for his many contributions to public health—including leading us through the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV/AIDS research, and various public health crises over his decades of public service. Due to his incredible contributions and hard work spanning decades, Dr. Fauci has saved millions of lives. Durbin also condemned Senate Republicans’ sham hearing last week where they berated Dr. Fauci in a reprehensible attempt to smear a devoted public servant in order to distract from President Trump’s failures to address the real issues facing Americans nationwide.
Durbin began his speech by reflecting on the breakthrough of the Polio vaccine by Dr. Jonas Salk during the Senator’s childhood.
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“By 1979, polio was eradicated in America [thanks to Dr. Jonas Salk]—a disease that struck fear in the hearts of everyone was a distant memory. There is a special place in history reserved for researchers and scientists—like Dr. Salk and Dr. Sabin—who devoted their lives to saving others—people like Norman Borlaug, Edward Jenner, Madam Marie Curie, and Albert Calmette. But there is another person whose name could be on that list as well—someone who has saved millions of lives, both in America and around the world, throughout his lifetime of public service. His name? Dr. Anthony Facui,” Durbin said.
During his floor speech, Durbin noted that Dr. Fauci worked for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 54 years—38 of which he served as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He has advised seven presidents of both parties and seen our nation through countless public health crises—from SARS, to avian flu, swine flu, Zika, and Ebola. Aside from his work against COVID-19, Dr. Fauci also made significant contributions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Dr. Fauci’s tireless efforts on HIV/AIDS both domestically and worldwide—through the creation of PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief—is the main reason why this horrible disease is no longer a death sentence. In recognition of this achievement, Dr. Fauci was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008—our nation’s highest civilian honor—from then-President George W. Bush.
“Dr. Fauci is an example of American excellence, a brilliant scientific mind and yet, the Republican Party has chosen to make this doctor who saved countless lives a political target,” said Durbin. “Last week, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subpoenaed Dr. Fauci in front of Congress for a hearing [designed] with the express goal of humiliating and vilifying him. For nearly three hours, my Republican colleagues berated, cursed, and insulted a man who has dedicated his life to protecting the health of American families.”
“If my colleagues had genuine concern for America’s public health, they would turn their attention instead to the destruction wrought by this Administration’s anti-science agenda. Listen to this roll call: measles cases are at a 35-year high; whooping cough has resurged; our response to the hantavirus and cyclospora outbreaks has been abysmal; and hundreds of thousands of people have died due to the Administration’s vaccine skepticism and public health cuts,” Durbin said.
Durbin also noted the Trump Administration has made significant cuts to NIH research funding which has slowed research into heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lost 20 percent of its staff under this Administration, deeply damaging food safety efforts.
Durbin concluded, “These are the real crises we face today, all entirely of this Administration’s own making. But my Senate Republican colleagues have chosen to ignore the real life and death issues to re-litigate COVID conspiracy theories. Not in an effort to learn what might have gone wrong or how to prepare for the next pandemic but instead to try and tear down a man who has devoted his entire life to lifting others up. Dr. Fauci deserves an apology for the way he was treated by my colleagues, and the American people deserve better than the pitiful display we saw in the Senate last Wednesday.”
Video of Durbin’s floor speech is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s floor speech is available here.
