On Thursday morning, August 6th, 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 contempt vote followed Fauci's July 29th Senate testimony, during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times in response to questions posed by Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. Fauci repeatedly stated, “On advice of counsel I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.”

Sen. Paul emphasized that votes to hold witnesses in contempt should be rare but asserted that Congress has a constitutional duty to oversee the executive branch, especially when a witness has been granted a sweeping pardon. “Accountability is what stands between the American people and a repeat of the mistakes and the very real consequences of the past,” Paul said during the hearing.

Democrats on the committee acknowledged the need for an investigation into past mistakes but argued that the inquiry had focused too heavily on one individual. Paul countered this by noting that no Democrat on the committee had reviewed the investigation’s documents using the committee’s internal software, suggesting a lack of engagement with the evidence.

The committee’s vote followed an 8-5 decision by Rand Paul's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, underscoring the partisan divide over the issue.

Sources