Three Democratic lawmakers have introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require military service members be vaccinated for influenza following a recent outbreak.
The amendment was introduced Tuesday afternoon on Capitol Hill by Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) following the recent flu outbreak that occurred at Joint Base San Antonio, commonly known as Lackland Air Force Base, located within Castro’s legislative district. Castro said Tuesday that there are now 284 confirmed flu cases and four hospitalizations at the base, up from the 275 confirmed flu cases he reported on June 24.
There are now 284 confirmed flu cases and four hospitalizations at the Lack at Lackland Air Force Base. Trainee Keon McDaniel from the 737th Training Support Squadron tragically died on june 16. I’m demanding an investigation into this into his death in connection to the flu outbreak
“In April, Secretary [Pete] Hegseth called the flu mandate irrational and absurd,” Castro said. “What’s absurd about keeping those who serve our nation safe? No president or secretary should be able to play politics and put the health of our troops at risk. Flu spreads quickly and many suffer the consequences. It took the Pentagon over a month to approve Lackland’s request to reinstate the mandate.
“In the meantime, many more trainees got sick. Unfortunately, time and again, Republicans in Congress and the administration have shown they’re willing to play politics with our troops.”
The congressman also chastised Republican colleagues in the House for previously rejecting his and others’ “common-sense call” to vaccinate service members from the flu, failing to include such a provision in the final NDAA rules package.
“Despite this outbreak of flu at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, this Congress, the Republican majority, has refused to even allow an amendment to the NDAA to reinstate that flu vaccine mandate,” Castro said. “Our nation is at war with Iran and has increased its military presence in the Western Hemisphere.
“So, it’s imperative that we maintain our military readiness and do everything in our power to protect our troops and, of course, protect the public. We’ll continue to push for the Pentagon to fully restore its vaccine mandate and protect lives.”
The Pentagon declined to comment on the NDAA amendment, telling Military.com it does not remark on pending legislation.
Pentagon Rolls Back Hegseth’s Flu Order
The outbreak has drawn scrutiny against the Pentagon, as Castro said in his pointed remarks to the media on Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
In April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military would no longer require U.S. active-duty or reserve service members to get the flu vaccine, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom while criticizing previously installed Pentagon requirements as “absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war fighting capabilities.” The April change was similar in scope to the Department of Defense’s previous decision to make COVID-19 vaccines optional for troops.
But last Wednesday, in response to the outbreak that has resulted in almost 300 cases, the Pentagon announced that boot camps for all military services are again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits.
An anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that such exceptions were being finalized earlier in June, with the Lackland outbreak timing described as “just a coincidence.” Only 40% of new trainees at Lackland opted to receive the optional shot, according to the AP.
The Air Force, Army and Navy have all been granted exceptions to the new policy and are again requiring flu shots for basic trainees, according to ABC News.
Military Readiness At Stake
Houlahan, an Air Force veteran and the ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, said in her remarks Tuesday that military readiness is built on discipline, professionalism, and on leaders who make decisions based on evidence—rather than ideology.
“Readiness begins and ends with healthy troops,” Houlahan said. “That’s why what is happening in Lackland is so deeply disturbing and troubling. Nearly 300 service members have become ill, several have been hospitalized, one young American has reportedly died from flu-related causes.
“Remember, these are young men and women who, by virtue of the fact that they are there, are healthy and fit. These are not just statistics; they are men and women who raised their right hand and volunteered to serve this country, and their leaders—our leaders—owe them better.”
That U.S. service member who purportedly succumbed to flu-related causes was Keon McDaniel, a basic military trainee from the 737th Training Support Squadron. He died June 16 while in his sixth week of basic training and four days prior, according to the 37th Training Wing, he experienced a medical emergency and was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center where he died.
The Wing said that the cause of the medical emergency is currently under investigation, and that a comprehensive medical review is being conducted to determine the facts. No further information has since been released.
“For decades, the military required influenza vaccines for new recruits because military doctors understood a very simple fact: When thousands of young Americans live, train, eat and sleep in close quarters, infectious disease spreads very, very quickly,” Houlahan said. “And that policy protected troops; it protected people like Mr. Cisneros and I when we were young in the military.
“Secretary Hegseth abandoned this long-standing policy—not because the science had changed, not because military medicine had changed, but because ideology replaced evidence. And now our service members are literally paying the price in some cases with their lives.”
Air Force ‘Set Back’ Due to Outbreak
Houlahan described the bond between the military and the population it serves as “a sacred covenant between this nation,” involving those who volunteer to wear a uniform and the civilians who are protected by them.
Cisneros, a U.S. Navy veteran and former undersecretary of defense for personnel readiness, scrutinzied Hegseth for a “short-sighted” decision in April that he believes had led to the current situation in Texas. In overseeing the Defense Health Agency in his previous role, Cisneros said he understands firsthand why such requirements were kept.
“Healthcare is part of readiness. Vaccines are part of readiness,” Cisneros said. “They are there to maintain the well-being and health care of our service members. Secretary Hegseth is not a doctor, and he should not be deciding what vaccine service members should be required to take.
“Since the 1940s, every member of the U.S. military has been required to take the flu vaccine and these mandates should never have been rolled back in the first place. The outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base was entirely preventable, as evidenced by the decades before with no outbreaks. … This has completely set back the Air Force’s expected recruitment class from entering the future squadrons on time.”
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