“Public health officials cannot be allowed to abuse their roles to enrich themselves and pharmaceutical companies.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Representative Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) have introduced the Fixing Administrations Unethical Corrupt Influence Act (FAUCI Act) to prevent top federal health officials from cashing in on the industries they regulate after leaving public service.
“Public health officials cannot be allowed to abuse their roles to enrich themselves and pharmaceutical companies,” said Senator Vance. “This legislation will shut the revolving door between Big Pharma and federal agencies tasked with protecting the American people. It would go a long way in restoring trust in our government.”
“As we saw through the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of distrust of the government officials and bureaucrats who appear to profit from their work on the taxpayers’ dime after leaving their jobs,” said Congresswoman Lesko.“My bill seeks to rebuild trust and transparency of this vital component of our nation, holding public servants to higher standards when they leave government. I am thankful for my colleagues who have joined me in support of this legislation, and I hope it receives swift consideration in Congress.”
The legislation would impose new ethics rules on federal employees at the FDA, CDC, NIH and other key health agencies, and would enact the following reforms:
An eight-year prohibition on former top officials serving as board members or officers at drug, biologic product, or medical device companies after leaving government.
A ban on former federal employees who approved drug/product applications from profiting from those products. Offenders could face a civil penalty of $250,000 and prison time of up to 5 years.
Restrictions on patenting drugs, biologics or devices invented during or outside the course of an individual’s federal employment, and requirements for disclosure of ownership or interest in such patents within specified periods.
Disclosure requirements for government officials and their spouses for any ownership stakes in patents of covered products.
The full text of the FAUCI Act is available here.
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