Fauci hearing - live: Doctor to defend Biden Omicron response as Project Veritas floats new conspiracy

The top coronavirus experts in the Biden administration will testify before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions today.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, will be questioned by lawmakers about the federal response to new variants of Covid-19.

The hearing comes as health policymakers say they believe the administration needs an urgent reset in the way it is approaching the new realities of the pandemic.

Dr Fauci is the target of a video released by far-right conspiracy theory group Project Veritas claiming that he was involved in the creation of the Covid-19 virus by the Wuhan Institute of Virology. While the claims are unverifiable and Dr Fauci has previously denied any involvement, right-wing figures have nevertheless seized on the accusation which is based on documents the group claims to have accessed from a “top secret share drive” at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

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Committee members

14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions includes a number of leading figures from both parties. In previous appearances, Dr Fauci has clashed with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Majority membership by rank (Democrats)

Patty Murray (WA) Bernie Sanders (VT) Robert P. Casey, Jr (PA) Tammy Baldwin (WI) Christopher S. Murphy (CT) Tim Kaine (VA) Maggie Hassan (NH) Tina Smith (MN) Jacky Rosen (NV) Ben Ray Luján (NM )John Hickenlooper (CO)

Minority membership by rank (Republicans)

Richard Burr (NC) Rand Paul, M.D. (KY) Susan Collins (ME) Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) Lisa Murkowski (AK) Mike Braun (IN) Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS) Tim Scott (SC) Mitt Romney (UT) Tommy Tuberville (AL) Jerry Moran (KS)

Senators to question Biden administration Covid-19 experts on Omicron response

14:39 , Oliver O'Connell

The Biden administration’s leading experts on the coronavirus pandemic are appearing before Senators today to answer questions about the response to new variants of Covid-19, including the recent surge in cases of Omicron.

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions are:

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionDr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesDr Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug AdministrationDawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services