Rep. Beau LaFave introduced legislation to exempt the Michigan National Guard troops from being forced to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Currently, the military has a broad vaccine mandate that covers all its branches. If members choose not to get the shot, they face being discharged from service.
“This vaccine mandate is unacceptable,” said LaFave, of Iron Mountain. “Rightfully, President Biden’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccine mandate was struck down by the Supreme Court, helping those in large businesses. But what about our fearless servicemen and women, who still face strong repercussions for choosing not to get the vaccine?”
Originally, Biden’s administration punished service members with a dishonorable discharge for not complying with the vaccine mandate. This would have made it so those service members would be denied much-needed veteran benefits in their future. It would also make it more difficult for someone to transition back from the chaos dealt with in the military, to the normalcy of our day to day lives.
Luckily, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which made it so service members would still be discharged, but not dishonorably. Therefore, they remain eligible for benefits. However, they still remain at risk of being removed from service.
Similarly, LaFave’s bill would specifically make it so a service member shall not be punished for violating the vaccine mandate.
“Instead of punishing our active-duty service members for choosing to make a personal, medical or religious decision, I think it’s about time we lift their vaccine mandate,” LaFave said. “As our nation faces a wide array of security threats, it is not the time to rid ourselves of our nations protectors and our heroes.”
House Bill 5727 has been referred to the House Committee on Military, Veterans and Homeland Security for further consideration.
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