On Thursday morning, August 6, 2026, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee voted 8 to 7 to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. The vote was strictly along party lines, with all Republicans voting "aye" and all Democrats voting "nay."

The committee, chaired by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, took the action after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times during a Senate hearing on July 29. Fauci repeatedly stated, "On advice of counsel I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution," in response to questions posed by Paul.

Senator Paul emphasized that while votes to hold witnesses in contempt should be rare, it is Congress's constitutional duty to oversee the executive branch, particularly when a witness has received a sweeping pardon. He stated, "Accountability is what stands between the American people and a repeat of the mistakes and the very real consequences of the past."

Democrats on the committee acknowledged the necessity of investigating past mistakes but argued that the investigation had disproportionately focused on one individual. Paul countered this by noting that no Democrat on the committee had utilized the internal software to review the investigation's documents, suggesting a lack of engagement with the evidence.

The committee's vote followed an 8-5 decision within Rand Paul's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, reflecting ongoing partisan divisions over the investigation and Fauci's testimony.

Sources