New Trump orders on transgender troops, COVID and more expected on Hegseth’s first day

President Donald Trump said Monday (January 27, 2025) that he will sign a flurry of executive orders focused on the military, including reinstating troops booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines and removing “transgender ideology” from the force, just as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day on the job.

″We will offer full reinstatement to any service member who was expelled from the armed forces due to the COVID vaccine mandate," Mr. Trump told a Republican crowd at the Trump National Doral Miami, a resort he owns. "And we will restore them to their former rank with full pay. ″

The order, once signed, isn’t expected to have a major impact on the number of service members returning since they have been able to re-enlist since 2023 and only a tiny fraction have sought to do so. But it could take a bite out of the budget if more do now, since it requires back pay.