1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

Stand up and support American scientists and stop their on-going harassment! Scientific research and evidenced-based public health are under attack. The attacks on science and public health are well-documented. However, the Administration has not stopped at cutting budgets, terminating grants, eviscerating agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. They are waging a war on individual scientists, through public harassment, arrests, criminal indictment, and ongoing threats of prosecution. The list of scientists under fire by the Administration and its allies in Congress includes climatologist Katherin Heyhoe, former NIH Director Francis Collins, pediatrician Peter Hotez and epidemiologist Ralph Baric. However, the most prominent target of the Administration and its allies is Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, now retired. The charges against Dr. Fauci are baseless. No credible evidence has been produced to support the absurd charges. These conspiracy theories have led to a five-year period of harassment and threats of violence directed at Dr. Fauci and his family. Now, this month, he is being subpoenaed by Congress once again. In over 60 years of public service, Dr. Fauci has led the United States through epidemics of HIV and COVID, through outbreaks of Ebola and SARS1, and through the 2001 anthrax attacks. He has worked tirelessly to advance science and protect the public’s health. As the Congressional hearings targeting Dr. Fauci approach, I demand you STOP these witch-hunts and support American scientists who have devoted their lives to the health and wellness of all Americans and are key leaders in our country’s biomedical research and public health response.