Congress abolished the military’s vaccination mandate
2022.12.07 13:52
Congress abolished the military’s vaccination mandate
Budrigannews.com – As lawmakers got closer to requiring the Pentagon to revoke its vaccine mandate, the White House said on Wednesday that it was a mistake to eliminate the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for U.S. troops.
In part on the grounds that it hinders recruiting, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who is vying for the position of speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and other Republicans have been urging the Biden administration to lift the mandate.
The vaccine mandate has been strongly supported by President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and military leaders as necessary to ensure the health and readiness of the United States armed forces.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, stated, “We continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake.” told the media.
Kirby continued, “Clearly, Republicans in Congress have decided that they’d rather fight against the health and well-being of those troops, rather than protecting them.”
The vaccine requirement would be eliminated from a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which establishes Pentagon defense policy.
This month, the Senate and House are expected to pass the bill, which will then be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law.
On Monday, Austin stated that the military does not have any data to support claims made by high-ranking Republicans in Congress that the vaccine mandate is hindering recruitment.
Despite this, the U.S. military has encountered unexpected resistance to vaccination among a small number of troops, which U.S. defense officials attribute to inaccurate information regarding the vaccine’s safety.
As indicated by Protection Office information, 3,717 Marines, 1,816 fighters and 2,064 mariners have been released for declining to get immunization.
According to Kirby, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to more than 99.99 percent of active-duty troops.
Although it does not mandate that troops who refused the vaccine be reinstated, the defense bill does request a report on the matter.
The Democrat chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith, stated that the issue at hand involved the discipline of a military that is expected to abide by legal instructions.
Smith stated, “I think they have to take into consideration that these people refused direct orders.”
