Some Republicans are adamantly pushing to reverse the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and want to include it in the compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which CQ noted may not happen. Advocates for the reversal may then eye the omnibus spending bill as a vehicle to include it, potentially slowing down that bill with just two weeks remaining before current spending levels expire.

The effort is led in the Senate by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has a key House ally in Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

“The Covid vaccine mandate in the military is wrong,” McCarthy tweeted Wednesday. “Our heroes have been fired. Our country is less safe. I told the President directly—it’s time to end the mandate and rehire our service members.”

Navy photo by Deidre Smith