Most of you are probably familiar with the phrase “drain the swamp.” Before I got elected, I knew the federal government was out of control and needed some big changes, but I had no idea how bad the problem truly is. For years, unelected bureaucrats have enjoyed huge amounts of power and control over our lives without much – if any – accountability for their actions. I see this problem firsthand every single day, and it’s only getting worse.
Unlike these unelected bureaucrats, elected officials like me are held accountable to the public in many ways. We are subject to elections every two, four or six years depending on the office, plus we have to be very transparent with our personal finances as well as our office finances. This is a good thing because it ensures we are being honest with you, spending your tax dollars wisely, and representing you to the best of our ability.
Unfortunately, there is a ridiculous number of federal employees who have immense power but are not subject to the same accountability measures as elected officials. This is the swamp that needs to be drained.
When these bureaucrats make decisions, they can directly impact the daily lives of millions of Americans. There is no better example of this than Dr. Fauci, who is the HIGHEST paid employee in the federal government. He makes nearly $425,000 a year, which is significantly higher than what most Americans make. Even worse, he is also set to earn a $350,000 a year pension when he retires, which is the highest pension in the federal government.
Paying Dr. Fauci this amount of money sickens me when he has repeatedly lied under oath to the American people. Since the start of the COVID pandemic, Dr. Fauci’s statements in public and his correspondence in private have contradicted each other. Last June, I wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to look into Dr. Fauci’s personal finances to see if he has financially benefited from the COVID pandemic in any way. Unsurprisingly, this request was ignored. The American people deserve answers, though, and I’m not giving up.
I’m sick and tired of unelected bureaucrats earning massive salaries in exchange for doing nothing and lying to the American people. That’s why last week, I introduced the No Pension for Lying Bureaucrats Act. This bill would eliminate Dr. Fauci’s entire federal pension if he is found to have lied to the American people. The same standard would apply to any federal employee who’s found to have lied to the American people.
We’ve got a lot of problems in Washington, D.C., and most of them stem from bad leadership and a lack of accountability. I’m committed to doing my part to chip away at this problem and start holding overpaid government bureaucrats like Dr. Fauci accountable. It’s time to restore some commonsense and accountability to our government.
Jerry Carl represents Alabama’s First Congressional District. He lives in Mobile with his wife Tina.
