House Republicans added a provision to the annual mandatory military spending bill introduced over the weekend that would prohibit children of U.S. military personnel from receiving gender-affirming medical interventions.
President Joe Biden has promised to veto any bill that discriminates against the trans community, but Democrats control the Senate, which means the bill cannot be passed until January 3, when the 119th Congress convenes. Its chances of passing the Senate are uncertain.
Nevertheless, the Republican National Defense Authorization Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives Rules Committee along party lines on Monday night, and could come up for a floor vote as early as Tuesday.
At yesterday’s hearing, the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, said the NDAA, negotiated by the chairs and executives of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, does not include a ban on gender-affirming care. This clause is not included and said it is not included. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) argued for an after-the-fact addition.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is asking House Republicans to add an anti-Semitism awareness law targeting college campuses to the NDAA, but Johnson is reportedly a Democrat. Leaders hope to bring the bill to a vote in the House. As such, it is a move that will hamper his party’s ability to approve as many judicial nominees as possible before Senate control changes.
Smith’s office released a statement objecting to the anti-transgender language added by Republican leaders.
“For the 64th consecutive year, Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have worked together across the aisle to invest in America’s greatest sources of strength: our military and their families, science, technology, modernization, and commitment. We have created a defense bill that will help our allies and partners.
The bill, based on work from the bipartisan Quality of Life Panel, would provide a 14.5 percent pay increase for junior enlisted personnel and a 4.5 percent pay increase for all other military members. This includes improvements to housing, health care, child care, and spousal support.
House Democrats have successfully blocked many harmful provisions that attack DEI programs, the LGBTQ community, and women’s access to reproductive health care. It also included provisions calling for bipartisan compromise. And if it stays this way, it will easily pass both chambers with bipartisan votes.
However, the final sentence includes a provision that prohibits treatment of military personnel under the age of 18 who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. It is wrong to uniformly deny medical care to people who clearly need it based on prejudiced notions about transgender people. This provision injected a level of partisanship not seen in previous defense bills. Chairman Johnson is pandering to the most extreme elements of his party in order to retain his chairmanship. In doing so, he upended what had been a bipartisan process.
I urge the Speaker to abandon this current effort and create a bill that reflects the traditional bipartisan process, supports our military and their families, invests in innovation and modernization, and does not attack the transgender community. I urge you to submit this to the House of Commons. ”
The Congressional Equality Caucus opposed the Republican NDAA in a statement from its chair, openly gay Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), saying, “In the last 72 hours, no one in uniform will be able to serve our country.” “The brave Americans who serve the nation have woken up.” Even the news that Republicans in Congress are trying to ban medical care for transgender children. ”
Pocan added: “For a party whose members constantly decry ‘big government,’ military personnel should consult with medical professionals and their children about what kind of medical care is best for transgender children.” Nothing could be more hypocritical than hijacking the NDAA to overturn its decision.” The Congressional Equality Caucus opposes the passage of this bill and encourages our colleagues to vote against it. ”
Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, also released a statement saying, “This bill was hijacked by Speaker Mike Johnson and anti-LGBTQ+ members of Congress who chose to jeopardize our national security and military preparedness. There is no other reason than to cause harm to society.” These are transgender children of military families. ”
“The decisions that families and doctors make for the well-being of transgender children are important and complex, especially for military families, and politicians cannot step in and take away their right to make those decisions. The last thing they need is that,” she said.
Robinson added: “Once this is brought up in this House, lawmakers need to vote down this harmful and dehumanizing bill.”
“This is a dangerous affront to the dignity and well-being of young people whose parents have dedicated their lives to serving in this nation’s military,” said Mike Zamore, national director of policy and government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union.
“Medical care should be between families and their doctors, and this provision baselessly and recklessly injects politics into the medical care that military families receive,” he said. “No one should have to choose between serving their country and ensuring that their child has access to the health care they need to survive and thrive. This extremely harmful and unconstitutional provision… Members of Congress must vote against the defense bill because it is included.”
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
