Sen. James Lankford will not lift his hold on President Biden’s Department of Defense nominees, even with the impending repeal of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the armed services that’s included in an annual defense policy bill working its way through Congress.
The Oklahoma Republican said he will continue blocking DOD nominees until he receives assurances from the Pentagon that troops who have been seeking religious exemptions are granted such freedom.
The $847 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that Congress is expected to pass in the coming days would repeal the COVID-19 vaccine mandate altogether, but Mr.