Senator James Lankford is strongly criticizing the Biden administration for prioritizing a ‘woke’ agenda over protecting the First Amendment rights of American citizens. Specifically, Lankford is concerned about the treatment of service members who have been fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine due to religious objections. Since the implementation of the vaccine mandate in August 2021, over 8,000 service members have been terminated, with many seeking religious or medical accommodations.
Although the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) terminated President Biden’s vaccine mandate, it did not reinstate the fired service members. In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Lankford expressed his commitment to reintegrating these troops into the military and preventing further retaliation against religious service members.
Lankford has heard directly from terminated service members who desire to resume their military careers. He emphasized that these individuals come from military families, with a strong desire to continue the tradition of military service. Their dismissal from the military due to their religious beliefs has been traumatic and unexpected, as previous generations of their families were able to practice their faith while serving.
The senator highlighted the paradoxical situation where service members are fighting for the First Amendment rights of others but are denied those same protections themselves. He pointed out that religious accommodations, such as beard lengths for Muslims and scheduled prayer times, have been accepted in the military. These accommodations should continue to be protected.
Lankford asserted that the priority should be reinstating the discharged service members. The House Armed Services Committee, led by Republicans, has passed amendments to the NDAA that aim to provide redress to unjustly discharged service members. However, some troops have voiced concerns that these amendments do not fully address the career opportunities they have lost, including deployment and training opportunities.
Furthermore, reapplication for former positions has been made difficult for terminated service members due to delays in changing their discharge status. This delay prevents them from starting the reapplication process and puts them at a disadvantage. Lankford acknowledged these issues and emphasized the importance of ensuring that service members seeking religious accommodations are not subjected to further consequences or retaliation.
Lankford criticized the Biden administration and the military for their obsession with pushing a ‘woke’ agenda at the expense of military readiness. He cited the administration’s focus on transgender rights and abortion as examples. He believes that the administration actively seeks to remove conservatives and those with religious beliefs from the military. Lankford’s frustration is compounded by the administration’s diversion of funds from veteran care to promote abortions in VA centers, which is inconsistent with federal law and military policy.
In collaboration with other GOP senators, Lankford is working to repeal the Pentagon’s policy of funding travel costs for service members and their dependents seeking abortions. The bill, led by Senator Joni Ernst, aims to prevent taxpayer funds from being used for abortions. Lankford and his colleagues hope to include this repeal in the 2024 NDAA.
Overall, Senator James Lankford is determined to fight for the reinstatement of fired service members and protect the First Amendment rights of religious service members. He believes that the Biden administration’s prioritization of a ‘woke’ agenda undermines military readiness and violates federal law and military policy.
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