Republican Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia revived legislation that would remove federal employees and bar future federal employment for summoned witnesses who refuse pertinent questions or are finally convicted of lying to Congress.
McCormick introduced H.R. 9991, the STOP the SWAMP Act, July 30 after former federal infectious disease chief Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment at a Senate hearing on the COVID-19 response. McCormick first offered the measure in 2024, when it stalled in committee.
The bill would debar a witness who appears under summons but refuses a pertinent question. Current federal employees found in violation would be removed from the civil service. Anyone finally convicted of perjury or false statements tied to congressional testimony would be barred, subject to judicial review.
Existing law already makes refusal a misdemeanor punishable by a $100-to-$1,000 fine and one to 12 months in jail. The proposal would add employment penalties and allow Congress to pursue rescission of funds for an employee’s salary and expenses after a contempt referral.
McCormick said public service is a privilege and officials who lie under oath or refuse oversight should face consequences. Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall introduced a Senate companion Aug. 4. Both versions remain in committee without floor votes.
Fauci said he invoked the Fifth because he feared prosecution despite a Biden pardon covering federal offenses tied to his government service from Jan. 1, 2014, through Jan. 19, 2025. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul argued the pardon eliminated Fauci’s privilege, while Democrats said punishing him for asserting a constitutional right would damage oversight.
The committee advanced a contempt resolution against Fauci along party lines. McCormick’s bill now turns that dispute into a fight over congressional power and federal workforce accountability.
