Today is a momentous day for my brothers and sisters in arms. 

More than 8,000 servicemembers were discharged under Joe Biden. Why? They dared to exercise the right to make their own personal medical decisions. After years of dealing with that unconstitutional mandate, President Donald Trump has taken decisive action to get those men and women back where they belong: in uniform, defending our country. 

His executive order seeks to reinstate military personnel who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, allowing them to return to their roles in the armed forces. This is something I’ve been fighting for for years. In 2022, I introduced the Vaccine Mandate Reenlistment Act, to ensure that any soldier, sailor, airman, or marine discharged for refusing the vaccine could rejoin the military at their previous rank and pay grade. 

This marks a significant step toward justice for these individuals.

But reenlisting these service members is about more than correcting past wrongs—it is a matter of national security. We need these dedicated men and women back in uniform, fulfilling the critical roles they were trained for. At a time when recruitment is down across the Armed Forces, we cannot afford to turn away those willing to put their lives on the line for our nation and our freedoms. 

Thankfully, we now have a Commander-in-Chief who understands that, and I’m committed to working with him and the Republican Congress day-in and day-out to strengthen our military and protect our great nation.