Senator criticizes defense chief after flu outbreak at Texas Air Force base

A U.S. senator is criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a flu outbreak sickened hundreds of military recruits at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana spoke out on the TV show 'Face the Nation' on Sunday. Cassidy is a licensed doctor who also chairs the Senate's main health committee. He said the outbreak is a warning about what happens when leaders ignore the proven benefits of vaccines. One Air Force recruit also died on June 16, though investigators are still working to determine if the death was connected to the flu.

The number of flu cases at Lackland Air Force Base jumped from 160 to 275 in just one week, according to the office of Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas. That rapid increase alarmed health experts and lawmakers who follow military health issues closely. Cassidy said the outbreak was a direct result of removing the flu vaccine requirement for troops. He warned that sick soldiers cannot fight, and that keeping troops healthy is a key part of military readiness.

Hegseth ended the military's mandatory flu vaccine rule in April of this year. He said the change gives troops 'medical autonomy,' which means the freedom to make their own personal health choices. Hegseth also argued that forcing troops to get the vaccine went against some soldiers' religious beliefs. He called the old rule 'absurd' and claimed it actually weakened the military's ability to fight.

In a video posted to social media, Hegseth explained his thinking in plain terms. 'If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you're free to take it,' he said. He insisted that no soldier should be forced to get a shot if it conflicts with their faith or personal values. The flu vaccine requirement for military members had been in place since 1945.

Senator Cassidy pushed back hard on that argument. He reminded viewers that during World War I, the 1918 flu pandemic killed enormous numbers of soldiers around the world. He said history shows that disease can be just as deadly to an army as any enemy on the battlefield. 'Combat readiness means preventing disease, and if you want to be combat-ready, you don't want everybody out with the flu,' Cassidy said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also made major changes to vaccine policy across the United States. Kennedy, who has long questioned vaccines, directed officials to cancel flu vaccine campaigns even during a season when the flu was especially bad. Emails released by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont showed that Kennedy gave those orders directly to his staff. Critics say these decisions put public health at serious risk, while supporters argue they give Americans more personal freedom over their own bodies.