Kennedy urges Senate leadership not to move on NDAA without vote to end Covid vaccine mandate for military

Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined 18 of his Republican colleagues in urging Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (Wyo.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to oppose moving forward with the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act unless senators have an opportunity to vote on an amendment that ends the military’s Covid vaccine requirement and reinstates service members who have been separated from the service because of their vaccination status.  

“The effects of the mandate are antithetical to readiness of our force, and the policy must be revoked,” the senators wrote. 

“The United States simply cannot afford to discharge our brave men and women in uniform and lose the investments we have made into each and every one of them due to an inept bureaucratic policy,” they continued.

“We respectfully request that the Senate vote to remedy a policy that adversely affects our service members and our national security,” concluded the lawmakers. 

Read the full letter here.