. Anthony Fauci defended the justification of lockdowns, masking, and vaccine mandates in his recent congressional testimony, citing the high death toll of 5,000 people per day during the early stages of the pandemic. He reaffirmed his support for all federal COVID-19 response measures, including business closures, stay-at-home orders, church closures, mask mandates for children, and vaccine requirements. Dr. Fauci emphasized the necessity of these measures in the face of the significant number of deaths caused by COVID-19 at the time they were implemented. Despite some studies questioning the effectiveness of these measures, Dr. Fauci maintained that they were necessary responses to the crisis at hand. He defended the actions of public health officials, stating that they were acting in the best interest of saving lives during a time of uncertainty regarding the virus.
Fauci reiterated that he did not fabricate any information and simply stated that the recommendation for six-feet social distancing was not scientifically supported and seemed to have been arbitrary.
During the hearing, Democratic members stood up for Dr. Fauci and criticized the treatment he received from Republicans.
Representative Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) commended Dr. Fauci’s actions and condemned Republicans for contributing to the erosion of trust in public health institutions.
Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) emphasized that Dr. Fauci is not the villainous figure that some Americans perceive him to be.
