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From left: U.S. Reps. Mark Takano and Becca Balint
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano and others sent a pointed letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins.
Sixty-nine members of Congress, led by gay Rep. Mark Takano, have sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins opposing his decision to phase out gender-affirming care for transgender veterans and demanding some answers.
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The VA announced March 17 that it would eliminate hormone therapy, prosthetics, and most other gender-affirming medical care for trans veterans who are not already receiving treatment.
Collins justified the decision by falsely claiming that most veterans support ending care for trans vets and saying it would allow funds to be redirected to paralyzed and severely disabled veterans. The move received immediate and widespread condemnation.
Takano, a California Democrat who is chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, and his fellow signatories joined in this condemnation in a letter sent Friday.
The VA had assured appropriate and respectful care for trans and intersex veterans through a directive issued in 2013, which remained in force during Donald Trump’s first term.
“Your decision to rescind this directive was just the latest action by President Trump and VA to end support for transgender veterans,” the Congress members wrote to Collins. “Since President Trump took office, VA facilities have stopped allowing transgender veterans to access single-sex facilities, including restrooms, consistent with their gender identity, VA employees have been told to remove transgender affirming materials, and there have been reports of veteran health records being updated to remove patients’ gender identity. Even small symbols of support — like displaying pride flags — have been banned by this Administration. These actions intentionally create an environment that is unnecessarily hostile toward transgender veterans, which will undermine efforts to provide these veterans with the services and care they need.”
“Your decision to pit veterans against each other by stating that ‘all savings from this change will go to helping paralyzed Veterans and amputees’ is also shameful,” they continued. “Your position requires you to support all veterans, regardless of their identity or medical needs. Your attempt to portray cutting off medical care to some veterans as an action to support other veterans is especially hypocritical, after VA has attempted to fire thousands of employees, many of them veterans themselves, that support the needs of all members of the veteran community. We implore you to immediately reinstate VHA Directive 1341(4) and reverse your decision to end treatments for gender dysphoria.”
The signatories went on to ask for information about how much in total the VA spent on veterans’ health care in 2024 and how much was spent on treatment for gender dysphoria; how much was spent on erectile dysfunction drugs; how the VA is enforcing its ban on access to gender-appropriate facilities; if it is providing mental health support to trans veterans; if it consulted any medical experts before ending gender-affirming care; and more. They want these questions answered by April 3.
The signatories are a diverse group of Congress members, including Becca Balint, Robert Garcia, Julie Johnson, Pramila Jayapal, Gabe Amo, Lloyd Doggett, Zoe Lofgren, Sarah McBride, Mark Pocan, Rashida Tlaib, Maxine Waters, and many more. The full letter is available here.
