Defense bill banning care for trans minors could put families in ‘survival mode’
The House passed a massive defense spending bill Wednesday with a provision that bars the military’s health care program from covering transition-related care for minors.
The House passed a massive defense spending bill Wednesday with a provision that bars the military’s health care program from covering transition-related care for minors. If it passes, some families said it would be devastating and could force them out of the military.
The National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass $895 billion bill, sets Pentagon and defense policies for the next year. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed to add the new provision regarding trans care, which states that “affirming hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and other medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization may not be provided to a child under the age of 18” under Tricare, the military’s health program.
The bill passed the House 281-140 Wednesday, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats voting yes, while 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voted no. The Senate will vote on the bill next week, and then it will be sent to President Joe Biden — who would need to veto the entire package if he wanted to block the trans care element.
If the NDAA is signed into law, it would mark one of the first times Congress has aggressively attempted to pass a federal statute targeting trans people.
Johnson called the bill’s passage in the House “an important win for our troops,” noting that it would provide pay increases to about half of enlisted service members and improve military housing, among other investments.
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