Matt Rosendale: “My amendment No. 172 would prohibit funds made available by this act to require a member of the Armed Forces or a…”

“My amendment No. 172 would prohibit funds made available by this act to require a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act rescinded Secretary Austin's memorandum requiring that members of the Armed Forces be vaccinated against COVID-19. Unfortunately, the NDAA did not prohibit future mandates. The last mandate resulted in over 8,400 troops being kicked out of the military for refusing this experimental vaccine, and we lost about 60,000 reservists. Countless individuals also decided not to enlist because of this mandate. While our military is failing dramatically to meet recruiting goals, it is outrageous that the Department of Defense would condition employment on receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. For example, in 2022, the Army sought 60,000 recruits but only enlisted 45,000. For 2023, the Army is aiming to recruit 65,000 new members but is only expected to recruit between 50- and 55,000 Active- Duty members. Additionally, young, healthy males are the least at risk of getting a severe case of COVID-19 while they are the most likely group to have an adverse reaction from the vaccine, making the mandate not just counterproductive but potentially dangerous. {time} 1350 The Biden administration is already urging all Americans to get a booster shot, despite no human-outcome data on the new shot.…”