CNN Host Presses White House Covid Czar On Military Vax Mandate: ‘Do You Think It’s A Mistake?’
Harold Hutchison on December 15, 2022
CNN host Ana Cabrera pressed a White House adviser Thursday on the potential end of the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
“The military COVID vaccine mandate is about to end. Currently it is one of 15 vaccines required depending on where you’re serving. Do you think it’s a mistake?” Cabrera asked White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha.
“Yeah, so, in terms of vaccine mandates, and I felt really strongly these are decisions that should be made by leaders of those organizations, about what the — what is appropriate for them,” Jha responded. “I think there are companies if you want to have a vaccine mandate for your employees because you think that’s what makes your employees safer. Same thing with health care. That’s where the decision should be made. It should be done at that local level, at that individual organizational level, and that is really what I think is most important at this moment.”
The House of Representatives will reportedly include an end to the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act. The military discharged over 8,400 servicemembers who refused the COVID-19 vaccines, but Congress is not ordering their reinstatement.
“But we’re talking about the military here, not a private company. So where do you stand when it comes to the military vaccine mandate going away?” Cabrera asked Jha.
“Well, I’ve been very clear on this for a while that I think this is a decision that should be made by military leaders,” Jha responded. “Military, as you said, mandates a whole host of vaccines, and they do it because they think that is what is most important for protecting their troops. Again, military leaders should continue to make those decisions.”
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
CNN Host Presses White House Covid Czar On Military Vax Mandate: ‘Do You Think It’s A Mistake?’
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