President Donald Trump said he will restore all military people who were dismissed for refusing to comply with orders to get the COVID-19 vaccination during the crisis.
“This year, I will restore any service members who were unjustly expelled from our defense for objecting to the COVID vaccination mandate with entire up pay, ” the recently inaugurated 47th President Trump said inside the Capitol Rotunda during the swearing-in service Monday.
Around 8,400 soldiers were expelled from the defense after refusing commands and declining the vaccine, according to defense information, with Marines making up around 3,700 of the rejections. Thousands of people got health and spiritual exemptions from the vaccination mandate.
Trump’s feedback echo those made by his Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearings last year, who said the people would remain “apologized to” and “reinstituted with give and position. ”
“And I may signal in order to prevent our soldiers from being subjected to radical social beliefs and cultural experiments while on duty, ” Trump said Monday. “It’s going to end immediately. Our armed forces will be free to focus on their sole mission, defeating America’s enemies. ”
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for U. S. military members lasted from August 2021 to January 2023, when it was overturned by legislation. Despite the new law, dismissed military members were not reinstated, leading to some pushback from conservative lawmakers.
The administration did not immediately provide details of the reinstatement and information on how much back pay may cost.
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