The Trump administration announced on Friday that all federal agencies must remove records concerning workers’ COVID-19 vaccination status, any violations related to pandemic protocols, and requests for vaccine exemptions.
This decision, made by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is part of a broader initiative to undo policies considered detrimental from the pandemic era, which were instituted under former President Joe Biden.
According to OPM Director Scott Kpole, this decision stems from recent legal challenges and a reflection on how federal employees were treated during the pandemic. He noted, “It was excessive, and people faced serious consequences for making personal health choices.” He emphasized the need to ensure that these past actions do not continue to affect federal workers moving forward.
Under the new directive, which takes effect immediately, agencies are not allowed to consider an employee’s vaccination history when making employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, and disciplinary actions. Importantly, all vaccine-related data must be deleted from both physical and electronic personnel files within 90 days.
Employees will have the option to retain their vaccine information in their files if they choose to within that period. Compliance with this directive must be certified by September 8.
In September 2021, Biden had issued an executive order encouraging federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of their job requirements.
A nationwide injunction against Biden’s vaccine mandate was issued by a federal judge in January 2022, at which point nearly 98% of federal managers reported being vaccinated. However, by April 2022, a three-judge panel on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit lifted that injunction, and a year later, the mandate was ultimately defeated.
Biden officially rescinded the mandate in May 2023, shortly after he had referred to the pandemic as “over” in a September 2022 interview.
