Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio launched into an expletive-laden attack on Dr Anthony Fauci during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, calling the former COVID-19 adviser a "total disgrace" to his face. The confrontation reflects the continuing political backlash in the United States over pandemic-era public health restrictions, with Fauci remaining a lightning rod for Republican criticism years after the measures were imposed.

Moreno told the hearing he had been prompted to run for office six years earlier after seeing a news story about a mother arrested for watching a football game outside with her family, a consequence of government guidelines based on Fauci's advice. Visibly angry, he swore directly at Fauci and accused Democrats defending him of complicity, saying voters should judge lawmakers who continued to support him.