Abbott joins 6 other GOP governors in asserting Pentagon has no authority to punish unvaccinated National Guardsmen
CNN
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott asserted the Pentagon has no authority to punish unvaccinated members of the state National Guard, joining other Republican governors who have called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to withdraw or otherwise nullify the military's Covid-19 vaccine mandate.
In a Thursday letter to Austin, Abbott wrote that the commander of the Texas National Guard -- under the governor's executive order -- "will not punish any guardsmen" for not getting vaccinated, adding that it was "unconscionable" that the military would threaten to withhold federal dollars for unvaccinated members of the guard or discharge service members from the unit.
The Texas governor is just the latest to join an effort to overturn or retract the Pentagon's vaccine mandate that began with Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma in early November. But the efforts are likely to be rebuffed by Austin, who rejected the earlier attempt.
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