WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) wrote a letter to President Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley asking for additional information and data on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate that was issued for service members in the U.S. military after Secretary Austin previously stated that no vaccine mandate would include vaccines without full Food and Drug Administration approval.
“Multiple sources have alleged that the Department of Defense’s (DoD) mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations may not be in accordance with Secretary of Defense Austin’s August 24, 2021 memorandum (vaccine mandate) stating “[m]andatory vaccination against COVID-19 will only use COVID-19 vaccines that receive full licensure from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in accordance with FDA-approved labeling and guidance,” the senator wrote. “Absent a sufficient supply of the only approved COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, it is not clear how DoD is complying with Secretary Austin’s assertion that mandatory vaccination will only occur with the fully-licensed vaccine.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
