Fauci says he will testify before GOP-controlled House if required

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Dr. Anthony Fauci will retire at the end of the year after four decades as the nation’s top infectious disease expert.
• The Biden administration launched a “six-week sprint” to urge more people to get COVID-19 vaccine updates.
• When asked if he would testify before the House Republican majority in next year’s Congress, Fauci replied ‘of course.’

Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week that he will face Republicans in Congress next year as they gain control of the House. The White House chief medical advisor said that he will testify if required.

“I absolutely will cooperate fully and testify before the Congress if asked,” Fauci told reporters during the White House press briefing. “I have testified before the Congress a few hundred times over the last 40 years or so, so I have no trouble testifying. We can defend and explain and stand by everything that we’ve said. I have nothing to hide.” 

Fauci’s appearance at the White House could likely be his last. Fauci, who has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, will be retiring in December.

In the months leading up to the election, Republicans vowed to hold congressional oversight hearings with Fauci even after he leaves government. They plan to ask Fauci what he knew about the origins of the virus and about policies aimed at COVID-19 mitigation, such as government-mandated lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and school closures. 

Fauci had long been viewed as a nonpartisan public servant who worked with both Republican and Democratic presidents. During the last administration, however, he would sometimes contradict former President Donald Trump and became one of the leading proponents for lockdowns to limit the strain on hospitals. He instantly became the target of the MAGA base.

When President Joe Biden took office last year, he asked Fauci to serve as chief medical advisor. The doctor became a target of many Republican lawmakers who clashed with him during heated congressional hearings. They saw some of his public health advice as too heavy-handed and questioned him about the possibility of COVID-19 originating in a lab.

The question of COVID origins continues to bring heated debate and remains unresolved. China denied that there was a lab leak but has not cooperated with investigative efforts, and some studies suggest the virus came from live animals sold at a market in Wuhan.

The Biden administration completed the COVID-19 vaccine rollout that the Trump administration started. On Tuesday, Fauci appeared at the briefing to encourage people to get an updated booster shot ahead of the winter holidays. 

Source: USA Today