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The Biden administration is gearing up for its latest pandemic showdown, this time over vaccine mandates in the military.
Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday that “we still have a requirement to vaccinate” for COVID-19. News surfaced the day before that the military may have moved too fast denying religious exemptions for vaccines, and the twin reports set up another round of back-and-forth over pandemic policy.
BIDEN SEEN AS FLIP-FLOPPING ON THE PANDEMIC, AGAIN
“Biden now says ‘the pandemic is over’ as he’s kicking tens of thousands of healthy soldiers out of the military with his COVID vaccine mandate,” tweeted former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a West Point graduate and potential presidential candidate. “These soldiers should be reinstated immediately.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) demanded the Pentagon provide information related to the denied religious exemption requests, according to a Fox News report. Hawley, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the report “alarming” and said department leaders may have tried to conceal it.
President Joe Biden set off the latest round of sparring by telling 60 Minutes the pandemic is over.
The statement proved controversial on the Left because hundreds are still dying from the disease each day and on the Right because a host of policies, including the military vaccine mandate, a $500 billion student loan transfer, federal employees working at home, and expanded Medicaid benefits, all rest on COVID-19 being a national emergency.
Each of those policies remains in place, and various members of Biden’s staff have sought to clarify or take a “step back” in adding context to the president’s words.
“The president said, and he was very clear in his 60 Minutes interview, that COVID remains a problem and we’re fighting it,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “And we have to continue to make sure that we are fighting this once-in-a-generation pandemic.”
One pundit dubbed it “Schrodinger’s Pandemic” — simultaneously alive and dead.
While the White House voluntarily ended its mask mandate along with the rest of Washington, D.C., in March and argued in May that the southern border Title 42 policy should end, it has often scrapped other policies only at the hands of a judge.
The Marine Corps rescinded some penalties placed on service members who sought religious exemption from vaccine mandates after U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that those who filed appeals could not be punished for doing so.
The Biden administration’s federal mask mandate was struck down in April due to a judge’s ruling, and the Supreme Court shot down a vaccine mandate for private employers in January. Another judge struck down the vaccine and mask mandate for Head Start preschool programs earlier this week.
But the high court upheld the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate, leaving the administration in charge when it comes to the military.
Some argue the requirements will hurt military readiness. The Army National Guard estimates it will discharge up to 14,000 soldiers in the next two years for refusing COVID-19 shots.
Yet Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center, mostly defended vaccine mandates. He compares them favorably with other shots required for military service.
“The military requires personnel to be vaccinated against a host of infectious diseases, including influenza,” he said. “COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, particularly as relates to preventing severe illness. While new variants and waning immunity may impact how effective, this is not dissimilar to the varying effectiveness of the annual flu shot.”
Biden administration officials say yearly COVID-19 vaccine doses may become the norm, providing sufficient protection against serious illness and death as the pandemic stretches past two years.
The White House COVID-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha, said yearly COVID-19 vaccinations, as with the flu shot, will enable the United States to move forward with fewer disruptions to daily life. Such requirements may remain in the military going forward, at least as long as a Democrat sits in the Oval Office.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I don’t see a major concern with the military given that they are essential personnel, keeping their vaccine mandate for the primary vaccination series in place,” said Parekh. “Based on future data, it will be more clear whether regular, or annual, boosters are necessary, specifically for young and healthy service members.”
