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Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul has issued a subpoena compelling former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee after Fauci declined to appear voluntarily.
Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, announced Monday that the hearing will be held in a public setting next month. According to the senator, Fauci had previously agreed to testify but later informed the committee that he would not appear voluntarily.
“Last week, Anthony Fauci notified us he will NOT voluntarily testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, even though he had previously agreed to do so. Therefore, today I have issued a subpoena requiring him to testify before the Committee, in public, next month,” Paul posted to X on Monday.
The subpoena follows the recent release of declassified materials by former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Paul argues that the newly released documents raise additional questions about Fauci’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic and warrant further public scrutiny.
A central focus of the hearing is expected to be whether Fauci misled Congress about federal funding for gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Paul has long argued that federal agencies supported research that may have contributed to the pandemic and has repeatedly challenged Fauci’s previous testimony on the issue.
Fauci has consistently denied funding gain-of-function research as defined by federal regulations and has maintained that the most likely origin of COVID-19 was a natural spillover event rather than a laboratory leak. He has also denied knowingly providing false testimony to Congress.
The debate over the origins of COVID-19 remains unresolved, with intelligence agencies and scientific experts continuing to hold differing assessments regarding whether the virus emerged naturally or resulted from a laboratory-related incident.
No official date for the hearing has yet been announced, but Paul indicated Fauci will be required to appear before the committee next month under subpoena.