The House Appropriations Committee might have been shut out of testimony for White House coronavirus task force health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, but a GOP-led Senate panel will hear from him this month.
Fauci is set to appear before the GOP-led Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions, according to a statement from committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., on Saturday.
"Chairman Alexander looks forward to hearing from Dr. Fauci and other administration officials at the Senate health committee's second hearing back, which will be on Tuesday, May 12," the statement read, according to ABC News.
House Appropriations Committee spokesman Evan Hollander said the panel sought Fauci — the highly respected director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases — as a witness for a subcommittee hearing on the government's response to the pandemic, but was denied. Hollander said the panel was informed by an administration official Fauci's testimony was blocked by the White House.
He would not identify who informed the committee Fauci would not appear.
The White House said Fauci is busy dealing with the pandemic and will appear before Congress later.
"While the Trump administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at Congressional hearings," White House spokesman Judd Deere said. "We are committed to working with Congress to offer testimony at the appropriate time."
Fauci is the top scientist on President Donald Trump's Coronavirus Task Force and is no stranger to testifying before Congress. He has sometimes contradicted Trump's optimistic statements about the virus and how much it is under control after claiming more than 64,000 lives in the U.S.
Fauci has warned against relaxing social distancing rules that have helped slow the spread of the virus but caused a major hit to the economy. That has earned him criticism from some of Trump's most ardent supporters, and Trump himself has retweeted a supporter who called for Fauci's firing.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.