WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee's Military Personnel Subcommittee, joined congressional colleagues in a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding answers on the June 16th death of Airman First Class Keon McDaniel. Airman McDaniel died during the influenza outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas following the Department of Defense’s April 2026 decision to make the annual influenza vaccine voluntary for servicemembers.  

Congresswoman Houlahan was joined by Reps. Hillary Scholten (MI-03), who represents the district where Airman McDaniel was from, Joaquin Castro (TX-20), whose district includes Lackland Air Force Base, Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), and Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08).  

“When tragedies like this occur, the American people and the Congress that represents them deserve immediate transparency and accountability,” the Representatives wrote in part. “We urge the Department to ensure that Airman McDaniel’s family receives timely and direct answers to any questions they may have about the circumstances of his death before any additional findings or information are made public. Keon’s family has already made the greatest sacrifice. They deserve to hear the truth directly from the Department, delivered with compassion and respect.” 

Reps. Houlahan and Castro co-sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to require military servicemembers to be vaccinated for influenza. This amendment comes after the flu outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio in Rep. Castro’s district spread to nearly 300 servicemembers. House Republicans rejected the amendment. The Department of Defense has since reinstated the influenza vaccine requirement. 

“While the DoD made the right decision to reinstate the influenza vaccine requirement for new recruits, this outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland underscores the importance of science- based decision-making guided by medical professionals when making public health decisions affecting our servicemembers. Politicizing the administration of lifesaving vaccines has led to the death of a servicemember, the hospitalization of numerous trainees, and an expensive race to retroactively provide our servicemembers the health care they need and deserve,” the Representatives continued. 

The full copy of the letter with the Representatives’ questions can be found here. 

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