Politics
NEW: Trump Officially Delivers On Key Campaign Promise
President Donald Trump is set to fulfill a key campaign pledge by signing an executive order on Monday that will reinstate thousands of U.S. service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
The order will affect over 8,000 active-duty and reserve personnel, restoring them to their former ranks with full back pay and benefits. The service members were removed from the military under the vaccine mandate enforced by the Biden administration from 2021 to 2023. The reinstatement will ensure the employees receive back pay and maintain their former ranks. Trump is following up on a promise he made during his campaign, which he reaffirmed in his inaugural address last Monday.
According to a White House fact sheet, “The Executive Order directs the Secretary of Defense to reinstate all members of the military (active and reserve) who were discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine and who request to be reinstated.”
“From 2021 to 2023, the Biden Administration and former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discharged over 8,000 troops solely due to their COVID-19 vaccination status,” the fact sheet read. “After the vaccine mandate was repealed in 2023, only 43 of the more than the 8,000 troops dismissed elected to return to service under the Biden Administration and Secretary Austin.”
Trump said in his inaugural address, “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.” He added, “This week, I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate with full back pay.”
Florida Republican Congressman and retired Army Ranger Brian Mast, who has long advocated for those affected, praised the move as a “great day for patriots.” Speaking on Fox News, Mast said, “Let’s not forget, you go back in time and this, it wasn’t just the military, it was other government agencies as well where they were washing, essentially conservatives that were raising their hands saying, ‘Hey I don’t want to take this vaccine.'”
“They were washing them out of government—washing them out of West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy. They were washing them out from being at West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy.” Mast continued, “They were washing them out from being on the next promotion boards for sergeants, sergeant majors, or officers, and they were creating a system where the ones that were going to be giving promotions to the next class.”
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Mast had been actively involved in various legislative efforts and public statements concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. He introduced the Mandating Responsibility Act, which proposes that any entity enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on its employees should accept liability for any adverse effects resulting from the vaccine.
During his presidency, Joe Biden implemented COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal employees, contractors, and large private businesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) required companies with 100+ employees to enforce vaccination or weekly testing, while the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) mandated vaccines for healthcare workers.
Legal challenges followed, with the Supreme Court blocking the OSHA mandate but upholding the healthcare requirement. In May 2023, the Biden administration lifted the remaining mandates as the COVID-19 emergency ended.
