Skip to main content
Tags: transgender | funding | surgery | troops | LGBTQ

House Weighs Banning Funds for US Troops' Gender Surgery

House Weighs Banning Funds for US Troops' Gender Surgery
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo. (AP Photo/Bill Clark)

Thursday, 13 July 2017 05:53 PM EDT

A Republican proposal to bar the Pentagon from paying for gender transition surgeries drew fierce opposition Thursday from Democrats who called it mean-spirited and discriminatory.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., described the prohibition as a bid to ensure tax dollars are spent wisely. She said her amendment to a sweeping defense policy bill would end the Obama-era practice of requiring the armed forces to fund medical procedures that even most private insurance plans do not cover and would cost more than $1 billion over the next 10 years.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Republicans should be ashamed.

"This cowardly Republican amendment targeting transgender men and women in uniform effectively bans these patriotic Americans from serving their country," Pelosi said.

The defense policy bill would authorize $696 billion for managing the nation's vast military enterprise in 2018, nearly $30 billion more for core Pentagon operations than President Donald Trump requested.

Hartzler's proposal would forbid money from being spent by the military's healthcare system on gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. She said her amendment will not prevent anyone from joining the military or receiving standard medical care, including mental health treatment.

The four-term congresswoman has been mentioned as a possible challenger to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Transgender service members have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis decided late last month to give the military chiefs another six months to conduct a review to determine if letting transgender people enlist in the armed services will affect the "readiness or lethality" of the force. However, the delay does not affect transgender troops who already are serving openly in the military.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., declined to fully endorse Hartzler's amendment, telling reporters it is important for Congress and the Defense Department to work closely together on military transgender policies.

"I want to make sure what we do is in close coordination with them," Speaker Ryan said.

A Rand Corp. study found there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members in the active-duty military, and another 1,500 to 4,000 in the reserves.

LGBT advocacy groups condemned Hartzler's amendment. Ashley Broadway-Mach, president of the American Military Partner Association, called the proposal a "vicious attack on service members who are sacrificing so much and putting their lives on the line for our country."

© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Politics
A Republican proposal to bar the Pentagon from paying for gender transition surgeries drew fierce opposition Thursday from Democrats who called it mean-spirited and discriminatory.
transgender, funding, surgery, troops, LGBTQ
422
2017-53-13
Thursday, 13 July 2017 05:53 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved