The U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Friday directed every federal agency to erase all documentation of an employee’s COVID-19 vaccination status, any prior non-compliance with vaccine mandates, and requests for medical or religious exemptions. OPM Director Scott Kupor said the guidance aims to end penalties imposed during the pandemic, noting that "federal workers were fired, punished, or sidelined for simply making a personal medical decision." Agencies must now remove the data from personnel files and internal tracking systems. The order marks one of the Trump administration’s most extensive reversals of pandemic-era policies enacted under President Joe Biden, who had required vaccination for the 2.2 million-strong federal workforce in 2021.