Trump to order end to DEI in military and reinstate troops who refused COVID vaccines
President Donald Trump is planning to soon sign executive orders reinstating U.S. service members who were kicked out for refusing to take a COVID-19 vaccine and also removing diversity, equity and inclusion from the military, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday.
Hegseth confirmed Trump's executive orders were coming for the military while speaking to reporters upon his arrival at the Pentagon for his first day on the job. The Senate narrowly confirmed the former Fox News personality and decorated military veteran on a 51-50 vote on Friday night.
Trump's upcoming executive orders for the Pentagon will fulfill campaign promises that the Republican reiterated during last week's inaugural address. "Our armed forces will be free to focus on their sole mission, defeating America's enemies," Trump said inside the U.S. Capitol last Monday.
The new president's plans mark another stark contrast between Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, on the best practices to tackle the pandemic. Many in the Republican party have criticized the guidelines used to combat COVID-19, particularly lockdowns that shuttered businesses and closed schools for months.
In 2021, then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered vaccinations for military troops against COVID-19 unless they had secured an exemption, such as for religious reasons. The Pentagon rescinded the order in 2023 upon direction from Congress but not before roughly 8,000 troops had been discharged.
Trump criticized the military's decision during his inauguration, saying those who declined the vaccine were “unjustly expelled from our military."
Hegseth added on Monday that another executive order is expected to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the Pentagon. These come a week after Trump signed a flurry of executive orders that shuttered DEI offices in all executive branch agencies and also rolled back historic civil rights actions seeking to end discriminatory hiring practices and creating equal employment opportunities.