President Trump has signed an executive order directing the Department of Education to cut off federal funding to schools and universities that require COVID-19 vaccinations for students or staff. The move is aimed at eliminating vaccine mandates in educational institutions that receive federal dollars.
The move fulfills another of Trump’s campaign promises and reinforces his position as a staunch advocate for parental rights, ensuring families have the primary role in shaping their children’s educational journey, free from undue bureaucratic mandates.
The order prohibits federal funds “from being used to support or subsidize an educational service agency, state education agency, local education agency, elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education that requires students to have received a COVID-19 vaccination to attend in-person education programs.”
It also directs the secretaries of education and health and human services to provide the White House with a comprehensive plan “to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including a report on noncompliant entities and a process for preventing federal funds from supporting educational entities that impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates,” the White House said.
“These mandates pressure students into making COVID-19 vaccine decisions based on government coercion, rather than on their own informed choices,” the White House said in a statement. “With COVID-19 vaccine mandates threatening educational opportunities for students, parents are being forced into a difficult position: comply with a controversial mandate or risk their child’s educational future.”
One week into office, Trump also signed an executive order reinstating military members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.
