On Monday, Dr. Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and head of the team that advised then-President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic, testified at a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.
That contentious hearing devolved into chaos when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) refused to call Fauci a doctor, and was scolded by the chair.
Following that exchange, Rep. Garcia took the mic and apologized to Dr. Fauci, then delivered a blistering rebuke of his GOP colleagues that included noting that close members of his family died during the pandemic:
REP. ROBERT GARCIA: Doctor Fauci, I am so sorry you just had to sit through that! That was completely irresponsible! Quite frankly, some– we’re hearing–.
This might be the most insane hearing I’ve actually attended! I’ve only been in Congress for a year and a half, but I am so sorry that you are subjected to those level of attacks and insanity!
You’re quote unquote, so-called science that the gentlewoman is referring to has saved millions of lives in this country and around the world, and I want to thank you for that.
I also think it’s important to note that it’s my opinion, is that you are an American hero, and your team has done more to save lives than all 435 members of this body on both sides of the aisle.
You guys have worked not just during this pandemic, but over time, to save millions of lives in this country and across the world.
We lost 1.1 million American lives, 1.1 million American lives, 7 million lives around the world.
We were having 911 like events, death events daily in this country, losing 4000, 5000 people every single day. I was mayor during the time of the pandemic. I remember how painful it was to close businesses, to shut down schools, but how quickly we forget the pain and how scared we were as a country.
We were washing our groceries as they were coming in. We were keeping seniors at a distance. The tragedy that was happening in our nursing homes. Thousands of people were dying a day.
And you and your team of the best and the brightest scientists in this country, in the world, were doing everything that you could and working night and day to save more and more of those lives.
A lot of my colleagues know that my mom was a health care worker during the pandemic. My mom died of Covid. My stepfather died of Covid. I lost both of my parents during the pandemic.
So I take this very personally, especially when other members of this body who are tasked to be responsible and actually help the American people attack medical professionals like you and across the world!
