At the 11th hour Congressional Republicans have attached a despicable provision to the NDAA spending bill banning coverage of best practice medical care for transgender military minor dependents. Cait Smith, director of LGBTQ Policy at the Center for American Progress stated, “As a trans veteran, I know how important the NDAA is for our military members & 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 & families & 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 & 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.” Even though a letter with nearly 300 advocacy groups calling on members to oppose the NDAA discriminatory anti-trans provision the committee denied House Members an opportunity to vote specifically on this essential health care. So it’s now going to be a wait & see situation since President Biden has promised repeatedly to veto any legislation that would enshrine discrimination against transgender people into law.
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