Lankford and other U.S. senators are pushing for President Joe Biden to sign the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act once it reaches his desk. They want that version of the bill to include the removal of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Lankford and other U.S. senators are pushing for President Joe Biden to sign the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act once it reaches his desk. They want that version of the bill to include the removal of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
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Lankford and other U.S. senators are pushing for President Joe Biden to sign the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act once it reaches his desk. They want that version of the bill to include the removal of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are expected to pass a defense budget worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and the legislation includes language to end the military’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
| MORE | Stitt, Lankford support end of military COVID-19 vaccine mandates
“That’s a standard practice quite frankly within the military for certain individuals,” Sen. James Lankford said. “Based on their faith, they need to keep a beard or for certain individuals, they want to be able to wear a turban, they work through all these different processes. They’ve done the same with vaccines in the past, except this one.”
Lankford and other U.S. senators are pushing for President Joe Biden to sign the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act once it reaches his desk. They want that version of the bill to include the removal of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
“They’re young. They’re healthy. And, quite frankly, most of them had COVID three times and have natural immunity and had no idea even if they get it the next time because they’re asymptomatic,” Lankford said.
The Republican senator from Oklahoma added that many military members just want an answer because he said for about a year and a half many have been left in limbo and unable to go out on missions.
“They would meet with their chaplains, which is the normal process. it would go up through the chain of command. It’d get to commanders. There would be no answer that would come down,” Lankford said.
Top health officials haven’t wavered in their position on the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it is the best way to prevent serious infection. The White House agrees, restating its position on Monday.
“We’ve been very clear about what we saw happen with the vaccine mandate basically being removed from the NDA,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “We thought it was a mistake. We think that Republicans in Congress have decided that they’d rather fight against the health and well-being of our troops than protecting them. And again, it was a mistake.”
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