-9999

Floor Speech

Last August, the Biden administration imposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate across the entire military. This led to the expulsion of thousands of qualified, honorable servicemembers who elected not to receive the vaccine. This DOD mandate failed to account for immunity to the virus many troops gained through natural infection, which we now know is equal to or greater than the effectiveness of the vaccine. The mandate also failed to account for the fact that these men and women are our bravest and healthiest Americans, with strong immune systems.

Recently, we learned that the Army cut roughly 60,000 National Guard and Reserve members from pay and benefits for refusing to take the COVID vaccine at the beginning of July. This decision was made at a time when more than 30 percent of its recruitment slots are not fulfilled.

The recruiting crisis has gotten so bad that the Army is now placing enlistees who exceed body fat standards into a dietary and exercise program in order to lose weight. This manpower shortage could result in undermanned units and potentially longer deployments as well as greater dependence on National Guardsmen to meet mission goals.

These personnel shortages are clear and obvious, and they are getting worse. Yet the ideologues in charge of this administration refuse to drop the vaccine mandate for the military. There is no longer any rational basis to persist in this demand other than as a deliberate campaign to punish dissenting opinions and oppress political enemies.

The Department also appears to be going out of its way to deny religious accommodations for our troops. More than 24,000 members across the branches have submitted religious accommodation requests. Almost all have been rejected. The Air Force approved fewer than 130 of the more than 9,000 religious requests submitted by airmen.

It is time for this administration to do what is morally right and patriotic, what is decent and sensible and prudent for the readiness of our military, and drop this vaccine mandate. Further, the Defense Department should reinstate those servicemembers who have been expelled for this reason, return them to their previous positions, and provide backpay for time missed.

But until they do so, I will continue to object to this nominee.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source