WASHINGTON, D.C. — The criticized and controversial COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of the military will be repealed, Fox News reported on Tuesday. Lawmakers have introduced a provision to end the mandates in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Despite opposition from both President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, House members on both sides of the aisle seem to have arrived at an agreement to get rid of the jab mandates.
“He continues to believe that all Americans, including those in the armed forces, should be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday regarding President Biden’s position on the matter. Kirby added that the injections were important for combat readiness.
NATIONAL SECURITY RISK
But other political leaders are of the exact opposite opinion; that the mandates actually are a threat to national security. On November 30, 21 governors – including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – sent a letter to Pelosi, McCarthy, McConnell and Schumer, demanding that the House and Senate work to repeal the mandates for the military.
“We ask you to take immediate action to remove and prohibit the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the U.S. Armed Forces,” the governors wrote. “The Biden vaccine mandate on our military creates a national security risk that severely impacts our defense capabilities abroad and our state readiness here at home.”
“IT IS INSANE”
Due to the mandate, the U.S. military is experiencing a severe recruitment shortage, not to mention the fact that under Secretary Austin’s leadership, thousands of service members have been discharged without pay, pensions and benefits.
So far, the Army has booted 1,841 active-duty soldiers for refusing to take the injection. The other branches of the military have been forced to slow down the culling due to pending court cases filed against the mandates. Still, around 8,000 members of the military have been dismissed over refusing to take the shot.
“The bottom line is that the vaccine does not prevent infection, does not prevent transmission. So why would we make anybody take it? It is insane,” Senator Ron Johnson recently stated at a press conference. He has been a vocal critic of the mandates as well as brought attention to injuries caused by the injections.
“THE BILL WON’T MOVE”
In an op-ed published on Tuesday, Republican senators Rand Paul and Rick Scott wrote that the mandates must end and that everyone who’s been made to suffer for this government overreach must be compensated and reinstated – or the NDAA bill won’t move.
“It is outrageous that the U.S. military is firing young service members who choose not to get vaccinated, and that’s why we, along with a continually growing number of our fellow Senators, are leading the charge to end the Biden administration’s unscientific and harmful mandate,” the two senators state.
They also point to the risk of severe side effects from the mRNA injections:
“By compelling the young to inject a vaccine into their bodies, they are accepting a risk of myocarditis, with limited benefit in terms of decreased risk of severe infection.
Whether the argument is science, military readiness, or freedom, the answer is the same – end the mandates and reinstate those who lost their positions taking this stand.”
But the current NDAA bill does not contain language that reinstates service or benefits for those in the military who have been discharged, according to Fox News.
