President Donald Trump is reinstating military members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, an action that could affect thousands of former service members.
Trump will sign an executive order reinstating active and reserve military personnel, with their former rank, full back pay, and benefits, who were let go by the Biden administration over their vaccination status and ask to be reinstated.
A military vaccine mandate was in place between 2021 and 2023, during which time more than 8,000 troops were dismissed solely for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a White House fact sheet obtained by the Washington Examiner.
It is unclear how many service members will take advantage of the new offer, though only 43 people elected to return under the Biden administration after the vaccine mandate ended in 2023, per the fact sheet.
The Trump White House believes that military recruitment was also negatively impacted by the mandate, as the Defense Department missed its recruiting targets by 41,000 in fiscal 2023.
“We’ve lost some of our best people in the military,” Trump said on the 2024 campaign trail, adding that the vaccine mandate “should have never happened.”
The executive order fulfills a campaign pledge Trump made to rehire anyone fired over the policy with back pay, and he also mentioned it during his inauguration speech on Jan. 20.
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“I will sign an order to stop our warriors from being subjected to radical political theories and social experiments while on duty,” Trump said. “It’s going to end immediately. Our armed forces will be freed to focus on their sole mission: defeating America’s enemies.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also spoken out against the mandate and pledged to boost military recruitment efforts.
