House Pentagon funding bill would ban transgender treatment for minor children of military personnel

Controlled by the GOP House of Representatives approved his annual defense spending bill on Wednesday, including a key warning about the culture war: a ban on transgender medical treatments for the minor children of US service members.

The provision in the 1,800-page bill states that “medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that may result in sterilization may not be provided to a person under the age of 18,” referring to the transgender children of military personnel

Republicans argued that taxpayer dollars should not fund potentially experimental and harmful procedures for minors.

President of the Chamber Representative Mike JohnsonR-La., has praised the passage of the defense measure, although it now heads to the Senate for approval in the Democratic chamber.

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“Ours men and women in uniform he should know that his first obligation is to protect our nation, not the awakened ideology,” Johnson said in a statement after the measure passed.

While the provision was a win for Republicans that could further advance President-elect Donald Trump’s policy agenda, the measure failed to incorporate several other Republican-backed provisions related to social issues. There were efforts to ban TRICARE, the military’s health care program, from covering transgender treatment for adults and a proposal to overturn the Pentagon’s controversial plan to reimburse travel expenses for service members seeking abortion stationed in states where the procedure is restricted.

Democrats were largely outraged by the provision to strip TRICARE from transgender children of service members, with the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, vowing to vote against the bill law on Tuesday despite helping in other parts of the package. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not advise members of his party to vote yes or no.

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The move also drew the ire of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), which called it an “attack” on military families.

“This cruel and hateful law suddenly removes access to health care for the families of members of our armed forces, and could force service members to choose between staying in the military or provide health care for their children,” said Kelley, HRC president. Robinson said in a statement.

That of the Senate The response to the transgender treatment provision will be central to determining the final content of defense policy for the next fiscal year. If it passes, it would align with Trump’s criticism of the military’s “woke” policies.

The Supreme Court also heard oral arguments last week in a first-of-its-kind case involving Tennessee Prohibition on transgender medical procedures for minors, which could place further restrictions on the procedures.

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The $884 billion National Defense Authorization Act, which sets the policies the Department of Defense, It was approved in a vote of 281 to 140, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it.

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Other provisions also limit recruitment based on diversity, equity, and inclusion and the teaching of critical race theory in military-run schools. Other policies include a 14.5 percent pay raise for younger enlisted troops, expanded access to child care and enhanced job assistance for military spouses, reflecting a year of bipartisan focus to address record recruiting struggles.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.