House Panel Approves Measure to Rehire Troops Fired for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine

With the military facing a recruitment crisis, Rep. Nancy Mace called the Pentagon’s ‘failure’ to rehire these troops ‘unacceptable.’

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on Sept. 29, 2021. Rod Lamkey/Reuters

The House Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment in the annual defense policy bill on May 22 that, if cleared through Congress, would force the Pentagon to rehire U.S. troops who were fired for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine.

The measure was adopted late on May 22 by lawmakers on the panel, who marked up and advanced their version of the annual appropriations bill, authorizing a defense budget of $849.8 billion.