Rep. Michael Waltz: They have got to stop this vaccine mandate
Florida Rep. Michael Waltz criticizes the military's COVID vaccine mandate that will force service members out of their jobs despite an ongoing recruiting shortage.
Florida Rep. Michael Waltz called for an end to the military's COVID vaccine requirement as thousands of U.S. service members are set to be terminated for refusing to get the shot. On "Fox & Friends First" Monday, Waltz warned that the Pentagon will be unable to fill those empty positions as the military is already facing a severe recruiting shortage.
PENTAGON RUSHED TO DENY SERVICE MEMBERS' VACCINE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION REQUESTS: REPORT
REP. MICHAEL WALTZ: He's one of 2,600 Coast Guards that are in this position. And I can tell you what, the disabled woman in a wheelchair that he strapped to himself and extracted, saved her life. She didn't care that he hadn't received a vaccine. We have over a thousand National Guardsmen and women in the Florida National Guard that are also in the same position, on the verge of getting kicked out of the guard with no pay and benefits, losing their retirement. They're out there on the front lines right now. And the people that they're giving water, food, protecting from looting and crime, they don't care. The Floridians that are out there, they're saving. They don't care. But yet the Pentagon is sticking to this stubborn, asinine policy that is not following the data and the science. Look, the CDC has changed the guidelines. It is clear the vaccine doesn't stop the spread. … And at the end of the day, on top of it all, guys, we have a major recruiting crisis. We are falling short, particularly in the Army, by thousands and thousands of men and women that they can't bring in to replace these people they're on the verge of kicking out. They have got to stop this mandate. It doesn't make any sense. And it's hurting people.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox