Thousands of intel officers refusing vaccine risk dismissal

By NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of intelligence officers could soon face dismissal for failing to comply with the U.S. government’s vaccine mandate, leading to concerns from Republican lawmakers about potentially hurting agencies considered critical to national security. Several intelligence agencies had at least 20% of their workforces that were unvaccinated as of late October. That’s according to U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, a Utah Republican who says he’s vaccinated but opposes mandates as counterproductive. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines says she doesn’t anticipate the mandate affecting the mission of national security agencies.