Gov. Reeves asks that Mississippi National Guard be exempt from vaccine mandate

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) has joined four other governors in asking that their state’s National Guard members be exempt from a federal coronavirus vaccine mandate.

Last month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin denied a similar request made by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

According to a letter obtained by CNN, National Guard members who remain unvaccinated could be banned from participation in drills and training, thus endangering their service.

In the join statement by the five Republican governors, they assert that the Supreme Court has affirmed in various cases that the National Guard is under the command and control of the governor of each state.

This unless the National Guard members are called to active service under Title 10.

“Setting punishment requirements for refusing to be COVID-19 vaccinated, and requiring separation from each state National Guard if unvaccinated are beyond your constitutional and statutory authority,” the governors wrote.

This statement signed by the governors of Wyoming, Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi and Nebraska.

The New York Times reports that nearly 97 percent of service members have had at least one dose of the vaccine, yet “the numbers are much lower for members of the Guard and Reserve.”