‘MISTAKE’

White House Slams Republican Push to Kill Vaccine Mandate for Troops

The Pentagon would have to remove the mandate if Congress passes a new defense bill.

After lawmakers in Washington revealed a GOP-backed compromise defense policy bill on Tuesday evening that would require the Pentagon to revoke its troop vaccine mandate, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby slammed it as a “mistake” on Wednesday. “But Republicans in Congress have obviously decided that they’d rather fight against the health and well-being of those troops, rather than protecting them,” Kirby said. “So we [The White House] still believe it’s a mistake.” The House is voting on the bill on Wednesday, and if it’s passed in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden, the Pentagon has 30 days to quash the mandate.