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House Speaker Mike Johnson (foreground) and colleagues
The bill, which now goes to the Senate, would deny insurance coverage for gender-affirming care for trans children of service members.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a defense spending bill that includes a provision denying insurance coverage for gender-affirming care for transgender children of service members.
The National Defense Authorization Act, providing for $884 billion in military spending for fiscal year 2025, passed Wednesday on a vote of 281 to 140, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it.
The controversial provision in the act would prohibit coverage under the TriCare insurance plan of any medical intervention for “gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization” for anyone under age 18. That would mean an end to care for any military families using TriCare as their health insurance. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican, had backed this section of the bill.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which has a narrow Democratic majority. However, it is still expected to pass there, Breaking Defense reports. President Joe Biden has pledged to veto any anti-trans legislation.
Civil rights groups and Democratic politicians quickly condemned the House's action.
“Military servicemembers and their families wake up every day and sacrifice more than most of us will ever understand," said a statement from Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. "Those families protect our right to live freely and with dignity — they deserve that same right, and the freedom to access the care their children need. Today, politicians in the House betrayed our nation’s promise to those who serve. Not since the ‘Defense of Marriage Act’ passed almost 30 years ago has an anti-LGBTQ+ policy been enshrined into federal law. For the thousands of families impacted, this isn’t about politics. It’s about young people who deserve our support. Those who have courageously stepped up to serve this country should never have their families used as bargaining chips. Now, the Senate has the opportunity to reject this and any bill that includes these dangerous anti-trans, anti-military family provisions, and remember the fundamental promise of our democracy: that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the right to healthcare.”
“The purpose of the NDAA is to ensure our military is equipped and prepared to protect our nation," said Olivia Hunt, director of federal policy at Advocates for Trans Equality. "This legislation is meant to strengthen our forces, making them agile and ready for any challenge. It’s baffling that Speaker Mike Johnson and extremist anti-trans lawmakers are instead using this bill to target healthcare access for service members’ families. Denying medically necessary care to trans people doesn’t just harm the families who are directly affected – when a service member is forced to choose between continuing their military service or protecting the wellbeing of their child, it also undermines military readiness and endangers national security. Military families have enough to worry about — they should never have to fear that they can’t get necessary healthcare for their children. Politicians who prioritize discriminatory agendas over the wellbeing of those who serve do a disservice to the very patriots they claim to honor."
“Our servicemembers should be focusing on keeping our nation safe, not worrying if Congress will let their child get the healthcare that their parents, doctors, and mental health professionals agree they need,” said a statement from Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “Speaker Johnson is playing political games with the health of our servicemembers’ children by inserting himself into private medical decisions and overriding families’ choices — and our servicemembers and their children will pay the price.”
“It is shameful that a traditionally bipartisan, non-controversial bill would be turned into a targeted weapon against transgender youth and their parents in uniform,” added Mike Zamore, national director of policy and government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union. “In the interests of scoring political points, this measure strips hundreds of young people of the health care they need, putting Members of Congress in between servicemembers, their children, and their doctors.. We strongly urge members of the Senate to pass a clean version of the NDAA and likewise urge President Biden to uphold his longstanding legacy of support for the LGBTQ community and the principle of keeping politics out of health care by vetoing it should it reach his desk.”
“It is deeply troubling and sadly unsurprising that Republicans in the House of Representatives, previewing their Party’s platform of bigotry and targeted discrimination over the next four years, embedded a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), denying transgender children of military service members access to the health care," said David Johns, executive director and CEO of the National Black Justice Collective. "This unnecessary and harmful provision is part of a manufactured campaign of hatred toward transgender youth — less than 1% of the population — and represents a disturbing lack of respect for the families of those who dedicate their lives to defending this nation." Johns called on the Senate to remove the provision and for Biden to publicly and unequivocally commit to vetoing the bill if it comes to him with the anti-trans language.
"We are deeply disappointed with the recent House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)," added Allen Morris, policy director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. "LGBTQ Organizations and advocates have consistently pushed back on anti-LGBTQ amendments or riders and expressed our concerns about our trans siblings being used as leverage for political purposes at the expense of their health, safety and rights. ... As this bill stands, it doesn’t support us, and we implore President Biden to veto the bill and send it back to Congress to remove all hateful and discriminatory language. Families should not be undermined or used to validate the integrity of defense legislation that traditionally doesn’t include such intent. Lawmakers must champion LGBTQ rights, hold firm to their commitments, and work towards excising harmful provisions that detract from the core mission of national defense. We’ve been clear lawmakers should not fold to political pressure and continue to HOLD THE LINE FOR LGBTQ LIVES.”
