Rep. Waltz to Newsmax: GOP Will 'Restore' Soldiers Disciplined for Vaccine Status

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., told Newsmax Wednesday that congressional Republicans will work to "restore" the status, pay, and benefits of soldiers who didn't follow President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

"Whether it's in the past defense bill or the next one, [Republicans in Congress] will get those service members restored to where they would have been before they were discharged, or before they had any kind of punitive — even a letter of reprimand — damage," Waltz said during "Prime News" Wednesday. "But the sad thing is many of these members are so disillusioned with their chain of command. They were made to feel like criminals. They were treated very poorly. They don't want to serve anymore. They don't want to go back."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden issued an executive order mandating all military personnel be vaccinated against the disease or face being discharged from the service.

Newsmax reported that more than 8,000 service members were discharged because of the vaccine and more than 34,000 were denied religious exemptions.

Despite the mandate's repeal following congressional action, the Pentagon said Tuesday that it is not "pursuing" back pay for those impacted.

"Right now, we are not pursuing, as a matter of policy, back pay for those who refused the vaccine," Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Defense Department, told reporters in response to one of several questions about the issue, according to U.S. News and World Report. "At the time those orders were refused, it was a lawful order."

Biden and now-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated lifting the ban as part of the $816.7 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress and signed by Biden on Dec. 23.

Waltz said that included in the legislation was a provision for the Pentagon to report back to Congress in 90 days about how it planned to "restore" those members who were disciplined.

"It's a complicated issue. It's not just the back pay," Waltz said. "It's also, for example, in the reserves and National Guard, they weren't receiving points towards retirement. Or many of these individuals that had concerns with the shot working, going to the schooling, or weren't getting other things they needed to get promoted. They needed to get promoted. So how the Pentagon restores that is on them."

He said he was surprised, however, at this week's response, which seems to go against what Congress asked the Pentagon to do.

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