Washington, D.C. — The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is legislation that provides critical investments needed to support our country’s defense. This week, congressional Republicans attached a reprehensible provision to the NDAA at the eleventh hour banning coverage of best practice medical care for transgender military minor dependents.
Cait Smith, director of LGBTQI+ Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following comment:
As a trans veteran, I know how important the NDAA is for our military members and their families. That’s why it’s reprehensible that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is playing politics with our troops’ pay by trying to include language that would take medical decisions out of the hands of doctors and families and put it in the hands of politicians. It is unacceptable to see a ban on coverage of transgender medical care for military dependents tacked on to this crucial legislation. Families should never have to choose between serving their country and ensuring their kids are able to access the medical care they need. People should be trusted with their own medical decisions. Should the NDAA pass with this ban on care in place, it would mark the first federal anti-LGBTQ statute in nearly 20 years. Members of the House must oppose passage of the NDAA until this harmful amendment is removed.
Allison McManus, managing director for National Security and International Policy at CAP, added:
Legislation that is intended to provide for America’s defense and support our service members should not be a bargaining tool for far-right culture wars. At a time when our country is facing global threats and the military is already struggling to meet recruitment and retention goals, denying the rights of service members’ families to make their own medical decisions only makes our country less safe. Speaker Johnson should get serious about our national security, removing this ban on lifesaving care and passing a clean NDAA immediately.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected]