Under federal rules, Department of Defense is paying states to vaccinate troops, but won’t.

In a letter to troops distributed on Thursday evening, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis laid out the Trump administration’s preliminary stance on the current budget crisis. He told military and National Guard troops that they should not be expected to fulfill their mandatory vaccinations or immunizations as part of their orders. He also said troops should stay away from Planned Parenthood and should not be expected to return equipment that was sent to another state for routine maintenance. “Consequently, the Department of Defense expects to terminate any assistance provided by the Department of the Army to your state-wide activation mobilization planning efforts,” Mattis wrote. The letter was obtained by the Huffington Post and reported on Thursday night.

Department of Defense pays state National Guard to conduct services in other states. Army has won’t fund vaccinations for troops — Hilary Rosen (@HilaryRosen) October 5, 2017

A previous Department of Defense requirement to send troops to receive vaccinations for medical reasons is now threatened https://t.co/nuImQLqt72 — CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 5, 2017

Related: Existing rules show why President Trump is lying about Department of Veterans Affairs cuts

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