Bice Joins HASC Republicans in Seeking Answers from DOD on COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Washington, D.C. — Representative Stephanie Bice (R-OK) joined Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), and fellow HASC Republicans in seeking answers from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the Department of Defense’s (DoD) COVID-19 vaccination mandate for servicemembers. The letter comes after President Biden’s declaration that the “pandemic is over” and follows concerns raised in a June 2, 2022, memorandum by the Department of Defense Inspector General (DOD IG) on denials of religious accommodation requests for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Specifically, the members are seeking answers from the Department of Defense on:
1) The timeline to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, or an understanding of why you plan to keep the order in place;
2) A determination on how the President’s announcement affects your determination to continue to enforce the mandate;
3) A review of the COVID-19 impacts on operational readiness for the Combatant Commands;
4) A summary review of ongoing litigation against DoD for the COVID-19 vaccine mandate;
5) An assessment of how the COVID-19 mandate is impacting recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces;
6) What consideration is being made to offer reinstatement to those servicemembers who were separated because of a refusal to take a COVID vaccine; and
7) Actions taken to address the points raised over the legitimacy of DoD’s COVID-19 religious accommodation process.