Sarah McBride defends transgender troops on House floor as Pentagon expels ‘committed patriots’

As the Trump administration carries out a purge of trans service members, Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday to defend those whose military careers are under threat, not because of misconduct, but because they are transgender.

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McBride, the first Democrat to speak during 5-minute floor speeches, denounced the Trump administration’s ongoing purge of transgender service members, calling the policy “immoral,” “un-American,” and a “direct blow to readiness” that sacrifices patriotism for political gain.

“These are Americans who have served with honor, with distinction, and with unshakable patriotism,” McBride said. “Brave, honorable, and committed patriots, who have also dared to have the courage to say out loud that they are transgender."

Related: As the first out trans person in Congress, Sarah McBride is ready to fight for us

Her remarks, delivered just weeks after the Pentagon began discharging thousands of transgender troops under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, marked the first time the first out transgender member of Congress had addressed the ban since it went into effect from the House floor.

“They have deployed into combat, flown missions overseas, and led troops through danger,” McBride said. “And now, this administration is telling them that despite their qualifications and the exemplary quality of their service, that they can no longer serve, simply because of how they express their gender.”

McBride pointed out that trans service members “met the same rigorous standards as their peers: the same physical exams, the same screenings, the same background checks. And in many cases, under intense scrutiny, they didn’t just meet those standards, they exceeded them."

While legal challenges proceed through federal courts, including the landmark case Talbott v. United States, the Pentagon is moving swiftly to separate transgender personnel identified under a sweeping order signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year. Commanders have been directed to comb through medical records, social media posts, and even personal conversations to identify service members with a history or diagnosis “consistent with gender dysphoria.” The penalty is involuntary separation and a discharge code that can hinder future employment and educational benefits.

Related: ‘Lesser-known D-Day’ strikes as Pentagon purges transgender patriots serving in the U.S. military

In an interview with The Advocate just minutes after stepping off the floor, McBride said the moment was shaped by two months of painful conversations with service members forced out of uniform.

“I’ve spoken with many of the service members and I felt compelled to bring their stories, their service, their voices to the well of the United States House of Representatives,” she said. “These are brave patriots. These are qualified, honorable service members who are witnessing an administration denigrate their service, insult their sacrifice, and summarily fire them from jobs that they were doing wonderfully in.”

She called it a “clear-cut example of workplace discrimination,” adding, “All any of us within the trans community want is to be able to live our lives and to be judged on our merits, not our identities.”

In her remarks on the House floor, McBride pointed to real stories behind the policy’s impact: service members whose commanders rated them in “the top 5 percent” of all officers or NCOs encountered over decades-long careers. “People thrive under her leadership,” one commander said of a trans aviator. Another, describing a trans instructor, said, “Undoubtedly within the top 5% of NCOs I’ve worked with in my 22 years of service.”

But even such records of excellence have not spared them. “These service members were just dismissed by this administration,” McBride said.

Second Lt. Nicolas Talbott, the lead plaintiff in the case bearing his name, is among those caught in the legal and administrative crosshairs. Though the Army has instructed the Ohio reservist to report for officer training in Missouri, Talbott remains at risk of expulsion mid-course. “It’s impossible to plan anything,” he told The Advocate shortly after a July deadline for so-called “voluntary” separation had passed. “I don’t know if I’ll be packing for training or packing up my career.”

The stories emerging from inside the ranks defy the administration’s justification for the policy, which revives discredited claims about unit cohesion and deployability. Maj. Erica Vandal, a West Point graduate and Bronze Star recipient with more than 13 years of decorated service, is being forced out under the same order.

So too for Air Force recruit Clayton McCallister, who graduated from basic training in June with the highest physical fitness score in his class, only to be denied continuation into the pararescue program for which he had trained. “Everybody I worked with wanted me to stay,” he told The Advocate after a June 6 deadline forced him to accept separation. “But the system decided otherwise.”

Related: Why is the Army recommending training for this transgender officer that the Pentagon plans to oust?

Speaking at the Equality PAC Pride Gala in Washington, D.C. in June, Navy Commander Emily Shilling, the lead plaintiff in Shilling v. United States, made clear the cost of such a policy. “This ban does not make us stronger,” Shilling said. “It tells service members that their identity matters more than their performance, their sacrifice, or even their oath.”

McBride told The Advocate that the country is in “a moment of cruelty and chaos” for transgender Americans, especially those in uniform. She described hearing from both active-duty personnel and recently discharged service members whose futures are “under grave threat.”

“To those transgender service members and recently retired transgender service members,” she said, “my message to them is simple. One, that I see them, that I value them, and that I will not stop fighting until we respect and support the service of everyone in our military who is honorably and patriotically defending this country.”

She added that while the Trump administration may try to sideline trans troops, “I know that Americans across this country value them, respect them, and believe that they too should be able to serve, regardless of what political appointees in the Pentagon or this president say.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include remarks from Rep. Sarah McBride in an interview with The Advocate.