WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced that on Jan. 28, 2025 he issued his first subpoena as chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for records relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety data and communications about the COVID-19 pandemic, including a subset of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails. The announcement came during Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Johnson’s subpoena to HHS is a culmination of a multi-year fight to overcome the obstruction of the Biden administration to get unredacted records and data about the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. For years, Biden officials at HHS and its subcomponent agencies withheld crucial health information from Sen. Johnson and the public. Many of Sen. Johnson’s more than 70 oversight letters to the Biden administration were either completely ignored or inadequately addressed. Now, having recently been named chairman of PSI, Sen. Johnson has the authority to issue subpoenas.

Sen. Johnson stated, “In the waning days of the Biden administration and after years of obstructing my oversight efforts, I warned HHS officials that when I become chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, I will subpoena records and data on the COVID-19 pandemic that have been inappropriately withheld from Congress and the American people for far too long. 

“Just days after being named chairman of the Subcommittee, I have kept my word.  

“Yesterday, I subpoenaed HHS for documents on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic—including a subset of Dr. Fauci’s emails—and the development and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Many of these records should have been turned over to me years ago, but the Biden administration opted to keep Congress and the public in the dark.

“I look forward to HHS’s full compliance with the subpoena.” 

Sen. Johnson signing the Jan. 28^th subpoena to HHS

Sen. Johnson’s subpoena requires HHS to produce:

1. Previously withheld or heavily redacted communications about the pandemic, including Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails, including but not limited to the approximately 50 pages of his emails that have been withheld from my office since September 2021;
2. Safety surveillance data on the COVID-19 vaccines including proportional reporting ratios and empirical Bayesian data mining;
3. Unredacted records previously released through Freedom of Information Act requests regarding the government’s awareness of myocarditis and pericarditis cases in post-vaccinated individuals;
4. Data and records relating to COVID-19 vaccine lots associated with higher rates of adverse events;
5. Order forms and receipts showing government researchers purchasing DNA sequences from a biotechnology company; and
6. All communications relating to HHS’s receipt of and response (or lack thereof) to my oversight letters between January 2021 and the present. 

HHS is required to comply with the subpoena by Feb. 18, 2025.

Sen. Johnson’s questioning of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. can be found here.

The complete subpoena can be found here.

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