U.S. military forces around the world will no longer be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, after the mandate was lifted under an $858 billion defense spending bill passed by Congress and signed into law Friday by President Joe Biden.
The department has 30 days to work out the details for rescinding the mandate. The Pentagon said Friday that in the meantime the military services would pause any personnel actions, such as discharging troops who refused the shot, and all troops would still be encouraged to get vaccinated and boosted.
Biden had opposed the Republican-backed provision, agreeing with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that lifting the mandate was not in the best interests of the military, according to White House officials. But he ultimately accepted GOP demands in order to win passage of the legislation.
The contentious political issue, which has divided America, forced more than 8,400 troops out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. Thousands of others have sought religious and medical exemptions. . . . (read more)
Biden Signs Blackburn COVID Military Vaccine Repeal into Law
U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) issued the following statement after President Joe Biden signed the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act into law with her measure repealing the military COVID vaccine mandate:
“I am glad President Biden has decided to sign the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act into law with my measure to repeal the COVID vaccine mandate. Our military should be focused on confronting the New Axis of Evil – not woke political mandates. North Korea is racing to expand its ballistic missile capabilities, China is increasing its threats against our partner Taiwan, and Russia has deepened its relationship with Iran to help wage its war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, President Biden is focused on firing over 8,400 active-duty servicemembers for not getting vaccinated. Biden has also barred more than 10,000 soldiers in the Army Reserve and National Guard from drills, training and pay. I was honored to lead the way in removing the COVID mandate to keep our military focused on protecting our nation.” – Senator Blackburn
How the push to end the military vax mandate culminated in the NDAA (Fox News, 23 DEC 22)
President Biden signed a defense policy bill on Friday that includes a provision cleared by the House and the Senate to repeal the administration’s military vaccine mandate.
The National Defense Authorization Act will terminate the COVID-19 vaccine for military members, but it does not reinstate members of the military who were discharged or had their benefits cut for refusing to get the vaccine. Reinstatement is a priority for some Republicans who have said the strict mandate is one reason why military recruitment is at a “record low.”
The road to the mandate’s termination started in August 2021, when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a memo requiring all service members to be vaccinated against COVID-19. As a result, a series of lawsuits were filed against the Biden administration on the behalf of service members seeking religious and medical exemptions to the mandate.
The first federal lawsuit was filed in November 2021 by 35 active-duty SEALs and three reservists. The suit claimed the military was infringing upon service members’ First Amendment freedoms and intimidating them into getting vaccinated against COVID-19. . . . (read more)
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