Texas Governor Tells Defense Secretary COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate on National Guard Won’t be Enforced

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a meeting in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 27, 2021. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday informed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate won’t be imposed on National Guard troops in Texas.

“As governor of Texas, I am the commander-in-chief of this state’s militia,” Abbott, a Republican, wrote in a letter (pdf) to Austin, a Biden nominee.