On July 8, it was revealed that the Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the defense policy bill (PDF) would use the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to prevent the military from paying for surgeries for trans personnel. Trans children of personnel would lose any treatment (like hormones and puberty blockers) that "could result in sterilization," as Tricare (military health insurance) would not pay for it.
This is part of the standard military funding bill that needs to pass every year by the end of September.
Republicans, with the vote of independent Joe Manchin, did this. Senators Jack Reed, Elizabeth Warren, and Tom Cotton voted against it.
"Accurate data on the number of transgender troops is limited. However, a 2016 Rand Corp. report estimated that between 1,320 and 6,630 service members identified as transgender. Gender-affirming healthcare costs are a small fraction of the overall defense budget, with the Pentagon spending $3.1 million on surgeries from 2016 to 2021.
The Senate’s NDAA amendments would bar Pentagon funding for 'performing or facilitating sex change surgeries' and prohibit the use of Defense Department facilities for such purposes. Tricare, the military’s healthcare program, would also be restricted from covering affirming hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and other medical interventions for minors if they could result in sterilization."
Erin Reed notes that "previously, the Senate was a roadblock for such provisions, as Democrats in the Senate preferred to stick to 'clean' bills."
Reed points out that this is consistent with what's in Project 2025. Project 2025 says "those with gender dysphoria should be expelled from military service" and urges politicians to "reverse policies that allow transgender individuals to serve in the military. Gender dysphoria is incompatible with the demands of military service, and the use of public monies for transgender surgeries or to facilitate abortion for service members should be ended." (p. 103–104)
Project 2025 and the Republican Party's Platform, Seth J. Meyer, The Queer Friendly Nonprofit, July 12, 2024
A spokesperson for Manchin later clarified that "Senator Manchin believes that...taxpayer dollars should not be used to pay for any services or treatments that are associated with gender transition." That would be no federal funding for transition at any age. This is a change from Manchin's 2023 position, which was that "service members have earned the right to make medical decisions for their children and families," and he joined Senate Democrats to block dozens of anti-LGBTQ laws, including one that, as Reed explains, "aimed to defund children’s research hospitals if they provided gender-affirming care." (Erin Reed, July 15, 2024)
More
Trans Lawmakers Say White House’s Latest Comments About Trans Youth Are ‘Betrayal’ The administration recently came out against gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth, which advocates call both “rare and necessary.” Lil Kalish, HuffPost, Jul 8, 2024
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