Biden admin fumes as end of military vaccine mandate appears imminent
The administration of President Biden is angry that Congress is poised for repeal of the military’s universal vaccination mandate. This is a major concession made by Republicans on Capitol Hill.
According to the Washington Post, Biden and Lloyd Austin had been pushing Congress for the non-negotiable vaccine requirement to be kept in place. However, Republicans seem to have succeeded in negotiating an end to this policy in return for the passage of the military’s budget proposal. Biden officials claim that ending the mandate would cost lives while Republicans insist on individual autonomy.
Biden officials are reported to have complained that the removal of the mandate would cause logistical difficulties for troops deployed overseas. Many countries also have vaccine mandates. They fear that COVID-19 outbreaks in the ranks might disrupt military readiness.
John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson, stated Wednesday that “we continue to believe repealing the vaccine mandate was a mistake.” “Making certain that our troops are prepared and ready to defend this nation is the president’s priority, and the vaccine requirement to Covid does exactly that.
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He said that Republicans in Congress had made it clear they would rather protect the troops’ health and well-being than fight for their own. It’s still a mistake, we believe.”
In August 2021, Biden and Austin issued a military-wide mandate for vaccines. Since then, thousands have been disqualified or left out of service because they refused to receive the vaccine.
Biden was able only to secure a military mandate for a vaccine. His administration tried to impose a vaccine or-test mandate on companies through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but it was ruled illegal.
Although the military’s mandate is likely to end in the next weeks, most personnel serving in the Armed Forces are already fully vaccinated.
