Why Trump’s Order to Restore Unvaccinated Troops Doesn’t Go Far Enough
President Trump recently signed an executive order (EO) to reinstate service members kicked out of the military for refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The EO states they will be given their former rank, full back pay, and benefits. While this EO is a crucial first step, it doesn’t go far enough.
In addition to the provisions of the EO, an adjudication board, court martials, and support for those vaccine injured are needed to repair the considerable damage. To understand why the EO is insufficient to repair the military and restore trust, one must first understand the extent of the damage the mandate caused.
The mandate destroyed careers and upended lives. Over 8,000 troops were involuntarily kicked out for refusing to take the vaccine while tens of thousands more chose to leave after facing career hardships and the real possibility of being kicked out.
Service members’ religious rights were trampled as individual accommodation requests were dismissed wholesale in a manner so blatantly unconstitutional, injunctions were issued by federal judges to put a stop to these illegal practices.
Meanwhile, troops with pending religious accommodation requests were de facto punished for even submitting an exemption as they couldn’t deploy, travel TDY (temporary duty), or PCS (permanent change of station) to future duty assignments.
U.S. Ends Funding for Thousands of Global Health Programs
The U.S. government has ended funding for some 5,800 global health programs, cutting off critical support for projects that provide vaccines, life-saving medications and emergency health care to millions of people globally. The move came in a wave of emails from the U.S. State Department that began Feb. 26.
The emails informed thousands of health groups, refugee camps, tuberculosis clinics and polio vaccination projects that their funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development had been terminated, according to a report from The New York Times.
“This award is being terminated for convenience and the interest of the U.S. government,” the notice read. The cuts affect a wide range of programs — from HIV treatment and malaria prevention in Africa to maternal health care in Nepal.
As Bird Flu Spreads, Feds Might Undercut States by Firing Scientists, Removing Data
As bird flu cases inundate more poultry and dairy farms, state officials worry that the Trump administration’s firings of federal scientists and other actions will undermine efforts to track the virus and protect Americans.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rushed to rehire workers who were involved in responding to the outbreak and were fired amid federal workforce cuts. These employees were part of a federal network that oversees labs responsible for collecting samples and confirming H5N1 tests.
State officials also fear funding cuts will hamper those federal labs, and say that by scrubbing some public health data from government websites, the administration may complicate efforts to track the outbreak.
NIH Cancels Summer Internship Program
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) usually welcomes around 1,200 students onto its campuses each summer, but this year will be an exception. In an internal email obtained by STAT, the agency announced that it is cancelling its Summer Internship Program, also known as SIP, even though some students had already been accepted.
The program has for years given students interested in research careers hands-on experience and career counseling, including interns from groups underrepresented in science. The agency did not provide an explanation for the move, but it comes at a time when NIH has also stopped recruiting postdoctoral researchers; Ph.D. students; and postbacs, who are recent college graduates.
“This was a challenging decision, and I know some of you will disagree with us; however, we are following the path we feel is best for the students and this institution,” wrote Sharon Milgram, director of the agency’s Office of Intramural Training and Education.
