Lawmakers Push For Mandatory Military Covid Shots

Also in military health news: two senators plan to roll out a bill that could help thousands of service members who are sick from toxic substances they were exposed to from burning garbage in Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones.

Navy Times: Lawmakers Call On Biden To Make COVID Vaccines Mandatory For The Military

A group of lawmakers is calling on President Joe Biden to make the COVID vaccines mandatory for all military members. Calling unvaccinated troops “a critical threat to our national security and public health,” U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., sent a letter to the White House Wednesday urging Biden to issue a “waiver of informed consent” that would force troops, if ordered, to get the vaccines as soon as they were eligible. (Ziezulewicz, 3/25)

Kaiser Health News: Military Exposed To Toxic Fumes From Burn Pits Set To Get Bipartisan Boost

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Friday planned to roll out what could be the most ambitious attempt ever tried to treat American war fighters poisoned in deployments overseas. The bipartisan bill, modeled on both Agent Orange legislation and the 9/11 health act, aims to help unknown thousands of veterans who got sick after being exposed to toxic substances from massive open fire pits where the military burned its garbage, as well as other sources. (McAuliff, 3/26)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

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