Should DOD Mandate Vaccines for U.S. Armed Forces?

Congressman Clay Higgins has delivered a letter to the Defense Department Secretary urging him not to mandate that U.S. Armed Forces members get the COVID vaccine.

According to the Associated Press, members of the Armed Forces will be required to get the vaccine by September 15.

Higgins states that federal law prevents mandatory vaccines in the case of a vaccine that does not have full FDA approval. While that approval is expected to happen next month, it has not happened yet.

If the FDA should approve the vaccine before September 15, then the timeline requiring troops to be vaccinated may be moved up.

Higgins says he doesn't want the vaccine to be mandatory,

Protecting Constitutional freedoms and preventing oppression of American rights is our glorious duty. Be advised....any failure of administration officials to follow federal law will warrant a full Congressional response.

He added,

If the vaccines are mandated before FDA approval, it "will rightfully bring forth a strong Article III challenge on many fronts. This is still America, good Sir. Freedom matters."

There are multiple vaccines that military members are already required to get including hepatitis and smallpox. The action to make COVID vaccinations mandatory may come with some pushback from military members. In Louisiana, only thirty-seven percent of our state has been vaccinated, but a slight increase was seen in the last two weeks.

If you would like to see the full letter that Congressman Higgins sent to Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, click here.