Hegseth Ends Flu Vaccine Mandate—Ensuring Everyone’s About to Get Sick
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doesn’t think soldiers living and fighting together in close quarters or aboard warships need to take the flu vaccine.
“Under the disastrous Biden administration, this Pentagon waged an unrelenting war on our warriors on many fronts, including when it came to denying them simple medical autonomy, and the freedom to express their religious convictions,” Hegseth said in a video statement posted on Tuesday morning. “Under President Trump … we’re seizing this moment to discard any absurd, overreaching mandates that only weaken our war fighting capabilities. In this case, this includes the universal flue vaccine, and the mandate behind it.”
The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) April 21, 2026
We are discarding the mandatory flu vaccine requirement, effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/9K5W8g0NsD
The announcement was widely criticized by Democrats for the timing, the level of priority attached to it, and the obvious disregard for the history of influenza in the U.S. military. During World War I, an estimated 45,000 U.S. soldiers died from influenza. Now, Hegseth is proudly eschewing a vaccine that is known to be an effective way to avoid getting the flu—something servicemembers, especially those stationed on warships in the Middle East—would likely appreciate.
“Nothing says military readiness like sick soldiers,” Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro said.
This story has been updated.