(LifeSiteNews) — In a move to further reverse the “many harmful policies of the Biden-Harris Administration,” the Trump administration on Friday ordered federal agencies to delete all records related to the COVID-19 vaccination status of government employees.
“Effective immediately, federal agencies may not use an individual’s COVID-19 vaccine status, history of noncompliance with prior COVID-19 vaccine mandates, or requests for exemptions from such mandates in any employment-related decisions, including but not limited to hiring, promotion, discipline, or termination,” wrote Scott Kupor, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in a memo to the heads of all federal departments and agencies.
“Things got out of hand during the pandemic, and federal workers were fired, punished, or sidelined for simply making a personal medical decision,” said Kupor in a statement.
“That should never have happened,” said Kupor. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we’re making sure the excesses of that era do not have lingering effects on federal workers.”
Agencies have until September 8, 2025, to comply with the OPM directive.
“Since returning to office, Trump has eliminated federal vaccine mandates, scrapped testing requirements for onsite work, and rescinded mask policies across all executive agencies,” explained The Washington Examiner’s Samantha-Jo Roth. “His administration has characterized these policies as ‘government overreach’ that infringed on personal freedoms and disrupted federal operations.”
READ: Trump admin sues Mayo Clinic for coercing Christian employee into taking COVID jab
In September 2021, then-President Joe Biden mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for all federal employees, federal contractors, and healthcare workers at facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
Biden’s mandate applied to 2.1 million government employees and millions of private sector employees with contractors working with the government.
Federal employees risked losing their jobs if they chose to remain unvaccinated.
The move by Trump’s OPM comes after Feds for Freedom (FFF) announced earlier this week that the group had reached a “landmark” settlement with the Department of Justice.
“This settlement marks a significant victory for individual rights and serves as a powerful, implicit acknowledgment of the government’s overreach, achieved through Feds For Freedom’s relentless pursuit of justice,” wrote the group in a press release.
“Our victory is a long-overdue confirmation of what we have asserted all along: COVID mandates were unconstitutional, immoral, and un-American,” said Feds For Freedom President Marcus Thornton. “Patriotic Americans, including Feds For Freedom, proudly held the line against an unprecedented attack on our most basic freedoms, withstanding years of relentless assault by petty tyrants determined to destroy our constitutional republic.”
