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. All Republicans voted in favor, while all Democrats opposed the measure.

The vote followed Fauci's July 29 Senate testimony, during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times in response to questions posed by Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. Fauci 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 votes to hold witnesses in contempt should be rare but argued it was Congress’s 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 need for an investigation into past mistakes but criticized the inquiry for focusing too heavily on one individual. Paul countered 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 reflects ongoing partisan divisions over the oversight of Fauci’s actions during his tenure.

Sources