Pentagon Officials ‘Exploring’ Back Pay For Troops Discharged For Refusing COVID Vaccine

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, service members who refuse to comply with COVID vaccination requirements might be eligible for back pay. This is after Pentagon officials dismantled the mandate last week.

After Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act in December, Pentagon officials ended the mandate for U.S. Military to have coronavirus vaccine. It was established in August 2021 by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R.CA).

Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary, wrote Tuesday in a memo that officials had officially canceled the mandate to immunize the U.S. Military Force and National Guard. Politico reported “opened the door to reinstating troops” They believe they were wrongfully fired.

Officials have yet to decide if these service members will be paid back.

“The Department is still exploring this and will provide its views on legislation of this nature at the appropriate time and through the appropriate process,” Maj. Charlie Dietz, spokesperson for the Pentagon, told the news outlet via email on Friday.

At the Biden administration’s direction, the Defense Department discharged more than 8,400 troops from the military, including some 3,300 Marines, 1,800 soldiers, 1,800 sailors, and 900 airmen that decided to forego taking the vaccine.

In December, a federal judge wrote that thousands of troops had sought religious and medical exemptions.

Still, Secretary Austin made the following statement in the Memo Over two million military personnel and 96% of active-duty and reserve troops had been fully vaccinated.

John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson asserted that President Joe Biden and Austin opposed repealing the Defense Department’s vaccine mandate.

“Secretary Austin’s been very clear that he opposes the repeal of the vaccine mandate, and the president actually concurs with the secretary of defense,” Kirby said, and added that Biden “continues to believe that all Americans, including those in the armed forces, should be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 . . . Vaccines are saving lives including our men and women in uniform.”

After the bill had passed Congress, President Biden signed it.

Mike Pence, ex-Vice President The Hill Last week, the Pentagon reversed its mandate that Biden reinstate the troops who were discharged with back pay. This was a reversal of the original decision to force service personnel to take the shot. “unconscionable.”

“I think now that Secretary Austin has implemented what Congress passed into law, lifting the vaccine mandate on members of our armed forces, now I’m calling on the Biden administration and the Pentagon to reinstate every man and woman that was discharged from our armed forces because they refused to take the vaccine, and give them 100 percent back pay for the time after they were discharged,” Pence said.

Pence was the White House COVID taskforce leader during Trump’s administration. He also supported Operation Warp Speed which developed the vaccine years ahead schedule. Pence said that the administration never supported mandating shots and that this contributed to the fact that many Americans were skeptical about being vaccinated.

“And I understand the concern that people in this country have about the vaccines, but I really believe it ultimately finds its origins in the fact that a vaccine mandate came along and people were required to take it.”