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 committee, chaired by Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, took this action following Fauci's testimony on July 29th, during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times in response to questions posed by Paul. Fauci repeatedly stated, “On advice of counsel I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.”

Senator Paul emphasized that while votes to hold witnesses in contempt should be rare, Congress has a constitutional duty to oversee the executive branch, especially when a witness has been granted 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 focused too heavily on one individual. Paul countered this by noting that no Democrat on the committee had used 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