WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored legislation to defend service members who have been discharged for exercising their right to medical privacy by declining to take the COVID-19 vaccine.  The bill would require the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to reinstate, at their previous rank, the soldiers, sailors, Airmen, and Marines who separated from service following President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.

“Jeopardizing the might and readiness of our U.S. Military, President Biden and his administration discharged more than 8,400 active-duty servicemen and women for choosing not to get the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Rep. Owens. “Despite signing Republicans’ repeal of the vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. armed forces, there is no plan to repay these men and women who were wrongfully fired. I’m proud to support the Reinstate Our Troops Act to rectify this unacceptable injustice imposed on our Armed Forces.” 

The full text of the legislation is available here.

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