Hawley Introduces Legislation to Bar Federal Employees from Accepting or Soliciting Cash Prizes

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the No Cash Prizes for Bureaucrats Act to remove all loopholes in existing law so that career federal bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci cannot abuse their government position to enrich themselves. Senator Hawley’s legislation would prohibit federal employees from accepting or soliciting cash prizes while working for the government. “No federal bureaucrat should accept cash prizes while on the job. I am introducing legislation to bar federal employees from accepting cash prizes or soliciting awards,” said Senator Hawley. “Anthony Fauci got rich while millions of people died. It can never happen again.” The No Cash Prizes for Bureaucrats Act would: Remove existing loopholes to the general prohibitions against federal employees receiving lucrative financial awards for high honors in things like medicine and scientific research. This would ensure cash prizes like the ones Dr. Fauci received are prohibited. Strengthen the rule that NIH employees cannot use their position to solicit, induce, or coerce lucrative awards to enrich themselves. Strengthen the rule that NIH employees cannot use their official duty time or a subordinate’s official duty time to solicit, induce, or coerce lucrative awards to enrich themselves. During an explosive committee hearing this week, Senator Hawley revealed Dr.  Fauci was exploiting loopholes to enrich himself with cash prizes during the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. In one instance, Dr. Fauci received a check for $900,000 . And publicly released records show that Dr. Fauci used at least 8 federal employees to apply for no fewer than 8 separate awards and prizes for himself while he was Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Emails show that Dr. Fauci’s taxpayer-funded federal employees were working to get him ethics-approved to receive various cash awards—and Dr. Fauci himself soliciting others to nominate him for awards. Federal law generally prohibits executive branch employees from “solicit[ing] or accept[ing] anything of value,” including cash awards. But there are broad exceptions and loopholes. At the National Institutes of Health, for example, the NIH Director can decide to approve the receipt of awards for bureaucrats. Senator Hawley’s bill will ensure that Dr. Fauci’s yearslong cash-prize cabal can never occur again. Watch the full Senate committee hearing exchange here.