The Pentagon's COVID-19 vaccine mandate may be on the verge of elimination by Congress after one year of separating troops from service who refused to take the vaccine.
For the Army's part, representatives stated Monday it has no plans to pause those separations.
According to the latest service data released Friday, the Army has kicked out 1,841 active-duty soldiers for refusing to take the vaccine. All other branches of the military have been halted or barred by the courts, continuing the separation.
GOP Lawmakers might be able to nix the vaccine mandate as part of the annual defense authorization bill. Marine Corps said vaccine disinformation is hurting recruiting in some regions of the country. A reversal of the mandate could also set up legal battles for troops seeking compensation for their dismissal or fighting to be brought back into the ranks.
"We will not speculate on any potential legislative actions, and continue to follow the policy of the Department of Defense and the United States Army to achieve a fully vaccinated force," a spokesperson told Military.com in a statement Monday.
The details of the defense bill were expected to be released Tuesday. It remains unclear whether soldiers who were kicked out would be allowed to return or would be entitled to compensation.
"Will the services be proactive? Will they reach out to those discharged and allow them to enlist or commission or will it be up to law firms to seek reenlistment or compensation?" William Hudson, a partner with Tully Rinckey, told Military.com. "The people I've talked to want to serve; they really wanted to stay in. I would hope those discharges will be allowed back in."
Politico reported on Saturday the Democratic chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., put the mandate on the table for negotiations over the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday said he wishes to keep the mandate in effect. The White House has also opposed any repeal efforts but signaled the mandate is negotiable in the NDAA.
"With respect to NDAA, those discussions are ongoing," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated Monday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, troops are required only to get the initial vaccination, not the booster. Many service members were vaccinated in early 2021, though the effectiveness of the vaccination is said to last for about a year.
Some 1,200 Coast Guardsmen are part of a class-action lawsuit because their religious exemptions were denied. Army officials claimed to Military.com that most religious exemption requests were initiated because of disinformation about the vaccine.
Approximately 1,000 soldiers sought medical exemptions, and 65 were approved within the active-duty force, National Guard and reserve.
With the Army National Guard, 37,000 part-time troops have not been vaccinated. Commanders have been ordered to forbid them from any training or deployments.
The Military.com interviewed National Guard officials who stated the troops would not be paid but would hold on to their jobs as they are on the unit's roster. In effect, this makes it harder for other soldiers to be promoted.
Others have claimed the recruiting struggles can be attributed to obesity, the military's entrance exam and stricter scrutiny of candidates' medical background rather than the vaccine mandate itself.
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