The latest Covid vaccine mandate debate

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Jun 23, 2023 View in browser   By Erin Schumaker, Ben Leonard and Evan Peng WASHINGTON WATCH Banks wants to bring back the unvaccinated troops. | AP The partisan dispute over Covid vaccine mandates is back, and it’s set to roil Congress’ effort to pass a defense authorization law for the 63rd consecutive year. The House Armed Services Committee late Wednesday night added amendments to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act to protect the more than 8,400 troops discharged after they refused to get a Covid vaccine under a Pentagon mandate ordered in August 2021 and lifted in January. The amendments, which also begin the process of reinstating the troops, will likely conflict with the version of the bill now in the works in the Senate Armed Services Committee, and with President Joe Biden’s wishes. For service members discharged for refusing to get vaccinated, the House amendments would: — Prohibit the military from taking "any adverse action" against them, and consider reinstating them at the rank they held when discharged — Establish a board to review vaccine-related discharges — Direct the Department of Defense to reach out to service members within six months of the bill being enacted to begin the process of reinstating them — Exempt cadets and midshipmen who didn't become commissioned officers due to their unvaccinated status from having to pay back tuition at military service academies — Direct the Department of Defense to conduct a study on how much it would cost to issue back pay and $15,000 bonuses to discharged service members "This provides a fair, equitable, and honorable option for our wrongly separated service members — many who filed legitimate religious exemptions and were ignored — to return to the ranks without any detriments to their career progression," Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said during the proceedings. Ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) argued against the amendments Wednesday, on the grounds that by refusing to be vaccinated service members had also refused orders. "Within the military, orders should not be viewed as optional," Smith said. What's next? The House still needs to pass the bill and reconcile it with the Senate's version, where the Democratic majority is likely to oppose the provisions.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Hillsboro Peak, N.M. | Erin Schumaker This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. It’s almost been a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. What changes have gone undercovered since then? Let us know. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard at bleonard@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly take stock of what the abortion landscape looks like one year after the landmark Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe — and you might be surprised at some of the developments that defied predictions. Listen to today’s Pulse Check podcast   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     WEEKEND READ Europe is seeing more mosquito-borne disease. | Judy Gallagher/Flickr Climate change is bringing tropical diseases to Europe, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Europe has seen more cases of locally acquired dengue in 2022 than the total number of cases in the previous decade, as heat waves and flooding allow invasive mosquitoes to establish themselves further north and west in the region, reports POLITICO’s Ashleigh Furlong. ECDC Director Andrea Ammon warned that Europe could soon see more cases of dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever, diseases more often found in warmer climes. The numbers: In 2022, there were 71 cases of locally acquired dengue, with 65 in France and six in Spain. West Nile cases also peaked, at 1,133, and caused 92 deaths. Most cases — 1,112 — were locally acquired in 11 countries, with more than 700 in Italy. It’s the highest number of cases since 2018 when a major outbreak during that year's European heat wave killed 180 people in 10 countries. “Climate change and more warm weather may be contributing to the [spike] of the viruses by creating more favorable conditions for the mosquito vectors,” said Ammon. Even so: Ammon cautioned that climate change wasn’t solely to blame, pointing to other factors, including travel, land-use changes and water accessibility. What’s next? Peter Sands, head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, told POLITICO that malaria could be the next disease to arrive in Europe. Europe eradicated malaria after World War II through insecticide spraying, swamp draining and drug therapy. However, the Mediterranean climate remains conducive to the disease.   Follow us on Twitter Ben Leonard @_BenLeonard_ Ruth Reader @RuthReader Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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