Rand Paul and Andy Biggs accuse Fauci and Birx of trying to 'corral our freedom' with coronavirus guidance

Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci are going to destroy the U.S. economy, according to two Republican lawmakers.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs penned a Thursday opinion piece for USA Today in which they argued that guidance from the top doctors on the White House coronavirus task force would lead to economic ruin and several subsequent public health issues by encouraging citizens to stay home to stop the spread of the virus.

"As much as we respect Dr. Anthony Fauci's service to our country and medical opinion, we disagree that his current positions on the virus outbreak provide the best path forward. Instead, discouraging states from reopening will only prolong a long-term public health and economic crisis," they wrote.

Birx, the coordinator of the White House task force, and Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have continued to warn that lifting stay-at-home orders too early could lead to another spike in COVID-19 cases. Fauci told the Senate this month there would be "needless suffering and death" if states reopen before the task force guidelines recommend. Most states that have begun to reopen have not had 14 consecutive days of declining cases, as the guidance advises.

Biggs and Paul argued that the nation cannot wait to reach the guidelines proposed by Birx and Fauci. They noted that many of the models used by Fauci have shifted or were not accurate and highlighted that many hospitals not dealing with a coronavirus outbreak have struggled to stay afloat with bans on nonessential care.

"Fauci and company have relied on models that were later found to be deficient. He even has suggested that he can't rely on any of the models, especially if the underlying assumptions are wrong. Yet, Fauci persists in advocating policies that have emasculated the medical care system and ruined the economy," they wrote.

Biggs and Paul reiterated several times that they do not tie President Trump to Fauci's guidance, despite the two working together from the beginning. They argued that Trump's refusal to order a nationwide policy shows that he is not in agreement with Fauci and Birx.

"The president has never mandated implementation of Fauci's dogma, but Fauci has had an incredibly powerful influence on what many states have done," they said. "And now that governors are trying to open up their communities, allow hospitals to determine whether they can provide elective surgeries, and trust the American people to exercise their freedom responsibly, Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx have attempted to scuttle the opening."

The two argued that people need to decide for themselves the level of risk they are willing to take by visiting a business or gathering together.

"If we feel going to a certain retailer, barber shop, restaurant, or some other business is risky, we have the judgment to decide to not go there. If we want to stay home, we can," they wrote. "In the end, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, and others seek to corral our freedom, just as the American people and many of our elected leaders are finding ways to open our society."

Both Arizona and Kentucky have had relatively small coronavirus outbreaks and have begun to reopen businesses, restaurants, and other facilities that were shuttered when the pandemic hit the United States.

The criticisms of Fauci and Birx laid out by Biggs and Paul are not universal within the Republican Party. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney praised Fauci's service throughout the pandemic, writing last week, "Dr. Fauci is one of the finest public servants we have ever had. He is not a partisan. His only interest is saving lives. We need his expertise and his judgment to defeat this virus. All Americans should be thanking him. Every day."