Embattled NIAID director Anthony Fauci said it’s a “bad precedent” for judges to overturn controversial mask mandates, and suggested those types of decisions should be left to people like him and the CDC.
During an appearance on Fox News, Fauci clarified earlier statements he made after a judge struck down the divisive CDC mask mandate for transportation including airplanes. At the time, Fauci said he did not believe the decision should have made it to a court room, but rather been left to the experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention without judicial oversight.
“This is a public health issue,” Fauci reminded the viewers, adding that “the point that I was making is that you always respect a decision of a judge in a court, in fact that’s what’s happening right now because masks are coming off in transportation.”
He continued, “I think it’s a bad precedent when decisions about public health issues are made by people, be they judges or what have you, that don’t have experience or expertise in public health”
“I believe this should remain a CDC decision,” Fauci added.
Still, Fauci stressed that he was not “defying the authority of a judge” – he stressed that he’s simply “concerned about the principle of having non public health people making a public health decision.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci joins Neil to discuss the Department of Justice reinstating travel mask mandate in different cities pic.twitter.com/HIZZfVWJ9C
— Neil Cavuto (@TeamCavuto) April 23, 2022
The Biden administration’s Department of Justice appealed a Florida judge’s decision to overturn the controversial mask mandate, despite the CDC recently claiming that only two more weeks of mask wearing were needed.
Politico might have recently shined light on why the Department of Justice is acting on behalf of the CDC: They’re “spooked” by the decision.
“It also spooked public health and legal experts, who worry it could diminish the agency’s power over public health decisions,” Politico reported.
Fauci, who is 81, has repeatedly shot down rumors of his retirement in recent months, stressing that he intends to see the end of the pandemic before leaving his post. He is the highest paid government employee and has worked in the same position since 1984.
