Sen. Ron Johnson isn’t wasting any time now that Republicans hold the Senate. The Wisconsin lawmaker, who chairs the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has officially subpoenaed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for crucial documents on vaccine safety, including emails from Dr. Anthony Fauci, as reported by The Blaze.
Johnson announced the move on Wednesday, coinciding with the Senate Finance Committee’s hearing on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination for a role at HHS.
With Republicans regaining control of the Senate after the 2024 elections, Johnson made it clear that his oversight efforts are just beginning.
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“Yesterday, I subpoenaed HHS for documents on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic — including a subset of Dr. Fauci’s emails — and the development and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines,” Johnson stated.
“Many of these records should have been turned over to me years ago, but the Biden administration opted to keep Congress and the public in the dark.”
Johnson has long called for transparency in federal health agencies, and he didn’t hold back in his latest statement.
“It is well past time to bring accountability and transparency back to our U.S. health agencies,” he wrote on social media, adding that he expects HHS to comply fully with the subpoena.
Yesterday, I subpoenaed @HHSGov for records and data previously withheld by the Biden administration relating to the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccine safety — including Fauci’s emails.
It is well past time to bring accountability and transparency back to our U.S. health agencies. pic.twitter.com/EZnTR64CDQ
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) January 29, 2025
For years, Johnson has been pressing for answers. He revealed that he had sent approximately 70 oversight letters regarding the federal COVID response, but the Biden administration either ignored or inadequately addressed them.
Now, he’s putting real pressure on officials to respond, giving them a deadline of February 18.
As Johnson turns up the heat, one of the more curious details of the Biden administration’s final days has resurfaced—Joe Biden’s last-minute preemptive pardon for Dr. Fauci.
In what many saw as a shield against incoming scrutiny, Biden issued the pardon to protect Fauci from any potential legal fallout under a Trump administration.
In a statement at the time, Biden defended the move, claiming that investigations into Fauci were “baseless and politically motivated” and only served to “wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.”
Biden insisted that even innocent individuals suffer lasting reputational damage from such probes, even if they are ultimately cleared.
Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades, stepped down from his role in 2023. But his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic remains under scrutiny, with Johnson and other Republicans determined to get answers about government policies, vaccine safety, and public health decisions that shaped the nation’s response.
Johnson made it clear before the election that if Republicans took control, subpoenas would follow. “Just days after being named chairman of the Subcommittee, I have kept my word,” he stated.
Now, with his first major subpoena issued, all eyes are on whether HHS will comply—or if they’ll continue stonewalling under new leadership in Washington.
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