Governor Gianforte Celebrates Overdue End of Biden's Military Vaccine Mandate

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today celebrated the end of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

“President Biden’s military vaccine mandate created an unnecessary national security risk which severely impacted our defense capabilities abroad and our state readiness here at home. Biden’s vaccine mandate no longer applies to servicemembers in the Montana National Guard,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Biden’s military vaccine mandate never should have been implemented in the first place, and I’m encouraged to see it ended once and for all, even if it’s woefully overdue.”

The U.S. Department of Defense last week officially rescinded the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Expressing concern in a November letter over the Biden vaccine mandate placing America’s military readiness at risk, Gov. Gianforte, alongside 20 other governors, urged congressional leaders to remove and prohibit the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In the letter, the governor laid out the impact of the implementation of the Biden vaccine mandate, writing, “As Governors, our ability to respond to natural disasters and conduct emergency operations is contingent upon the strength and size of our National Guard units. As Congressional leaders, it is your duty to provide for the national defense, and therefore, we call upon you to protect the men and women in uniform—who protect us—from an unnecessary vaccine mandate.”

Shortly after the governors’ letter was sent, Congress passed legislation to lift the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for military members, and it was signed into law.

Governor Gianforte has consistently defended the right of Montanans to choose whether to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In 2021, the governor signed a first-of-its-kind law banning discrimination based on vaccination status.