Fauci ‘Shouldn’t Have A Seat At The Table,’ GOP Rep Says

A top conservative in Congress wants Dr. Anthony Fauci to step back from the Trump administration’s coronavirus response and allow states to begin restarting their economies and putting people back to work.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) told an Arizona radio station on Monday that the infectious diseases expert was not thinking enough about the damage extended lockdowns are doing to Americans’ finances and livelihoods, according to the Arizona Republic. Biggs sits on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and leads the House Freedom Caucus.

“I think it’s time … for Dr. Fauci to move along,” Biggs said. “I mean, he shouldn’t have a seat at the table. He shouldn’t be making decisions that are basically impacting this country in a way that we haven’t even considered.”

“He has said he has not considered economic or societal or social fallout for his remedy for the epidemic. And if that’s the case, I think he gets some credit for where we stand today, but I think it’s time for him to move on,” Biggs added.

Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gave a tentative timeline on Sunday for states to begin lifting stay-at-home orders and allowing people to start working again. Some states and regions could begin a “rolling reentry” in May, he said, but the disease could remain a serious threat through Election Day on Nov. 3 and longer, as reported by Time.

Fauci has consistently warned against setting a date to reopen the US, saying, “you don’t make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline.” The doctor said that states could consider relaxing social distancing regulations after widespread testing is available and the number of severe cases of the disease drops significantly.

“We are hoping that, at the end of the month, we could look around and say, OK, is there any element here that we can safely and cautiously start pulling back on? If so, do it. If not, then just continue to hunker down,” Fauci said.

When asked about when states should begin lifting stay-at-home orders and reopening, Biggs said those decisions should be made the next day. Some social distancing rules could stay in place while people begin opening up businesses and working again, he said.

“Look, if you’ve got a retail shop and you open up there isn’t anybody in Arizona, nobody is going to stop you,” Biggs said.

“You should be exercising wise social distancing mechanisms, let only so many people into your store. People need to stand back behind the lines,” Biggs continued. “I mean, look, we can do this in grocery stores. We seem to be doing it fine in grocery stores. Why couldn’t you do it in a furniture store or bike shop, a flower shop or a bookstore?”

Biggs criticized Fauci’s “meat cleaver” approach to the virus.

“This has basically emasculated the United States’ economy,” Biggs said. “And part of it is because Dr. Fauci took what I would call a generic meat-cleaver approach to this thing, where everybody’s going to be basically isolated. We’re going to close businesses.”