Exclusive — Mike Waltz: Republicans Will Push to End the Military Vaccine Mandate

Army Green Beret Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview on Thursday now that Republicans will control the House, there will be a push to end the Biden Pentagon’s vaccine mandate and bring back troops who were discharged for not wanting to take the vaccine.

“You’re going to see a push to end the mandate, probably through the [National Defense Authorization Act] bill, and also there will be a push to restore those that have been discharged,” said Waltz, who is slated to chair the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.

He said Republicans will also take a look at the religious exemption process, which allowed troops to request exemption from the coronavirus vaccine, but was approved by the military services for only a small number of cases, primarily for those already leaving the force. Federal courts so far have halted punishment for service members in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps who filed for religious exemptions.

Waltz said he expects resistance from the Pentagon, “so we’ll have to roll up our sleeves, and when we get into actual legislative language on really pressing the point that this one was developed very differently.”

“Most every shot that we take in the military that has decades of research behind it, number one,” he said. “Number two, the premise of the mandate was that it stops the spread. This has been shown not to be the case,” he said.

“You have to follow the orders, but every leader also should be evaluating your orders and in terms of risk-benefit, and when faced with a recruiting crisis,” he added.

The Pentagon has so far discharged more than 8,000 service members this year, after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered all service members to be fully-vaccinated in August 2021. The dismissals have occurred as the military writ large is facing its worst recruiting numbers since the Vietnam War.

“You can’t replace these folks, and then overlay that with they’re looking at over 20,000 [potential discharges] — particularly in the National Guard and Reserve. All of those things should be weighed in and I hope we can get to some common sense here,” Waltz said.

The Florida congressman said he was not sure if Democrats would be on board, but noted that President Joe Biden has himself called the coronavirus pandemic over, and that the CDC has eliminated guidance distinctions for the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

“All of those things have moved on from the from the vaccine….the Pentagon has been stuck. If necessary, Congress will have to move,” he said.

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