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The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York has rescinded its COVID-19 vaccine mandate shortly after Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) sent a letter to the academy’s superintendent claiming that the mandate violates federal law.
“As of March 10, 2023, [USMMA] has rescinded the requirement that midshipmen be vaccinated against COVID-19,” a U.S. Maritime Administration spokesperson told the New York Post. “Applicants for the Class of 2027 will be admitted without regard to their COVID-19 vaccination status.”
Congress removed the military’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement as part of the $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2023 at the start of this year.
President Joe Biden signed the NDAA into law in December and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin officially rescinded the mandate in January.
However, the USMMA—which trains its midshipmen to serve as officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine, branches of the Armed Forces, and the transportation industry—was not covered by that decision because it is administered by the Maritime Administration, whose parent agency is the Department of Transportation (DOT).
USMMA’s vaccine policy has been in place since Oct. 20, 2021.Banks Urges USMMA to Drop Vaccine Mandate
In its statement to the New York Post, USMMA defended its previous decision to require midshipmen to be vaccinated against the virus, arguing that it was needed to “help protect the health and safety of our Midshipmen on campus and while at sea.
