House Republicans Propose Lifetime Federal Job Ban for Dr. Fauci Following Capitol Hill Testimony

House Republicans have unveiled legislation that would permanently prohibit Dr. Anthony Fauci from holding any position within the federal government. The measure emerges following Fauci’s testimony before a Senate panel this week, during which he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights more than 100 times.

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., introduced the STOP the SWAMP Act, which would disqualify federal employees who decline to answer specific questions from Congress or who face perjury convictions. The proposal also would grant lawmakers authority to refer uncooperative witnesses for potential criminal prosecution if they are determined to have unlawfully withheld information from congressional committees.

McCormick defended the bill by drawing a comparison to private-sector employment practices. “If you don’t want to answer questions about what you did wrong, we should be able to fire you,” he stated in remarks provided to Fox News Digital, using a Burger King cash register shortage as an analogy.

Fauci appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., amid renewed scrutiny surrounding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul subsequently announced his committee would pursue contempt of Congress charges against the former official.

Previously serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022, Fauci has consistently denied wrongdoing and currently faces no criminal charges. However, diary entries released before his testimony showed him crediting himself for pandemic-related policies, contradicting his January 2024 statement to the House Oversight Committee that “I did not close the schools.”