Ron Johnson Presses Pentagon On Reinstatement Of Troops Fired for refusing Biden's Covid Shot Mandate
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is pressing the Pentagon on its efforts to reinstate military troops fired by the Biden administration for forgoing the Covid shot, the senator revealed Thursday.
In his Tuesday letter, the Wisconsin Republican asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide an update on what the Defense Department is doing to return service members booted for not getting the experimental jab under President Biden.
As The Federalist previously reported, the mandate was announced by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in August 2021, and - while ultimately repealed by Congress - resulted in the dismissal of roughly 8,700 troops from the service. Reporting in recent years and statements issued by Hegseth have called the legality of the mandate into question.
"This dismissal of thousands of brave men and women from the military was a despicable act that damaged our armed forces," Johnson wrote.
The senator specifically highlighted concerns raised in a recent Daily Caller report, which found that, even though "President Donald Trump is offering backpay and reinstatement for active duty service members, some troops who fell through the cracks are still fighting for their rights."