The White House said Tuesday it 'strongly opposes' a provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that prohibits the Pentagon from punishing or dishonorably discharging any service member who refuses a vaccine.
'The Administration strongly opposes section 716, which would detract from readiness and limit a commander's options for enforcing good order and discipline when a Service member fails to obey a lawful order to receive a vaccination,' the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement on the yearly bill that funds the Pentagon.
'To enable a uniformed force to fight with discipline, commanders must have the ability to give orders and take appropriate disciplinary measures.'
The Pentagon ordered all service members to get vaccinated last month and didn't rule out court martialing those who don't.
More than 800,000 service members out of around 1.4 million still needed to get their shots at the time of the mandate, according to Pentagon data.
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