U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has denounced the Pentagon’s plan to force all troops to get COVID-19 vaccines – and Republicans who go along.
In a statement issued Friday, the Florida Republican said, “I’ve heard from many of my constituents, who are rightly concerned about Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s military vaccine mandates … even though we have zero longitudinal studies of the effects that these vaccines have on the human body. Why is Lloyd Austin, the Democrats, and even some Republicans in support of requiring our nation’s bravest and most vigilant defenders to be participants in this experiment?”
The mandate takes effect on Sept. 15.
Gaetz added that he has joined 13 Republicans in an effort to block the move. He co-sponsored a bill by Rep. Thomas Massie that would prohibit any federal funding from being spent on an effort to require troops to receive a vaccination against COVID-19.
It also precludes the defense secretary from taking “adverse action” against any troops who refuse a jab, including retaliation, punishment, disparate treatment, a requirement to wear a mask, or any requirement to reside in “substandard housing.”
Besides Gaetz, the GOP lawmakers who support Massie include Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Greg Steube of Florida, and Chip Roy of Texas.
“The growth of the Big Brother state is troubling and I will continue to fight against it!” Gaetz said in his statement.
But Gaetz also released a video about his objection to the Pentagon mandate and didn’t spare Republicans.
“What’s so frustrating is that the lead Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, [Rep.] Mike Rogers, endorsed and went along with this decision,” said Gaetz.
Gaetz pointed out that 70 percent of troops already are vaccinated. But the Biden administration and line-crossing Republicans won’t rest until it’s 100 percent.
“Here’s the problem: With the way they are hunting people over this faux sense of extremism in the military, and now this, it’s almost like they are trying to drive out anybody who is capable of independent thought,” Gaetz said in the video.
“We don’t know the long-term impacts of this vaccine on readiness, on the human body, and the fact that we’re forcing military families to take this vaccine before it goes through the normal process, that’s deeply troubling to me.”
“I think Republicans should be fighting against this decision, not supporting it,” he added.
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