The hearing followed Paul’s recent release of a journal Fauci kept during the height of the COVID crisis. Democrats praised Fauci for his decades of service under both Republican and Democratic presidents and characterized the hearing as a personal vendetta by Paul. With staff cuts, he added, “the administration has hollowed out the public health workforce.” During the hearing, Trump took credit on social media for the rapid development of the COVID vaccine. She declined to say Fauci is to blame for the prolonged damage to students’ learning and mental health.