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WASHINGTON – House Democrats face a hard vote this week on the final compromise to the annual defense bill that provides pay raises for troops but also bans coverage for children of U.S. soldiers seeking transgender care.
All Democrats present Tuesday opposed a procedural vote. 211-207However, to advance the historically bipartisan legislation, it faces a final vote as early as Wednesday. Congress has passed the annual package for the past 63 years.
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement he plans to vote against the sweeping defense policy bill.
Washington state lawmakers said it is “wrong to blanketly deny health care to people who need it – just because of prejudicial attitudes toward transgender people.”
“Including this harmful provision endangers the lives of children and could force thousands of service members to make the decision to continue their military service or leave military service to ensure their child receives the health care they need,” said Smith after the procedural vote.
President Joe Biden has not indicated whether he will sign the bill.
Salary boost, housing improvement
The nearly $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025 is expected to greenlight a 4.5% pay raise across the board for troops and a 10% raise in April for the military’s youngest members.
The bill would also pave the way for modernizing military housing and recent protocols for preventing and assessing traumatic brain injuries from blast exposure.
The final version of the bill also included some far-right wish points, including a hiring freeze for diversity, equity and inclusion positions and a ban on the apply of any federal funds for so-called “critical race theory” in military training – even though the section protects the provides academic freedom for lecturers.
Ban on trans reporting
A four-line provision on 1,800 pages attracts the most attention package This would specifically prohibit coverage of minors under the military’s TRICARE health program for “medical procedures to treat gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization.” The bill does not define which interventions would be prohibited.
Gender dysphoria is defined viewed by the medical community as an incongruence between a person’s stated gender and the gender assigned at birth. According to medical literature, the experience often leads to psychological distress, including an increased risk of self-harm.
The chairman of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, urged Democrats to vote no on the final package.
“For a party whose members constantly denounce ‘big government,’ nothing is more hypocritical than hijacking the NDAA to, in consultation with medical professionals and their children, override military members’ decisions about what medical care is available to their transgender people.” -Children is best,” Pocan said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, one of the bill’s sponsors, spoke in the House of Representatives on Tuesday and condemned the provision, which “fails to recognize that lack of care leads to death and suicide.”
The New Mexico Democrat accused Republicans in the House of Representatives of knowing “better than the parents and the doctor what care your child should receive.” This is an insult to our Marines, to those who serve in our Navy, to those stationed overseas and at our bases in our own country.”
Speaker praises TRICARE ban
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, during his weekly speech press conference On Tuesday he praised “groundbreaking investments” and the wage boost included in the bill.
“It’s really important right now. We have improved our military personnel’s housing and other services, which is also why we have stopped using funds for CRT at our military academies. We banned TRICARE from prescribing treatments that would ultimately sterilize our children and we gutted the DEI bureaucracy,” the Louisiana Republican said.
A Democratic-led effort to strip the transgender coverage provision failed in the House Rules Committee on Monday.
Smith told the committee that the provision was “fundamentally wrong” because gender dysphoria is widely recognized among medical professionals.
“The treatments available for this, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy as well as psychiatric help, have proven incredibly effective in helping young people and minors struggling with suicidal thoughts and deal with the causes of massive confusion that led to them.” They suffer from anxiety and depression,” Smith said.
Treatment options include mental health therapy, hormone therapy, and surgery. However, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health only recommends surgical procedures for adolescents under certain conditions numerous criteria. Some gender-affirming surgeries result in sterilization, and the association recommends counseling adolescents and their families about circumscribed fertility preservation options.
Smith told the committee on Monday that between 6,000 and 7,000 children of U.S. soldiers are currently being treated for gender dysphoria. The House Armed Services Committee did not respond to a request for further clarification on that figure.
Until September 2016, gender-affirming care for the children of military members was not covered by military health insurance. A statistical analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics concluded in March 2019 that just over 2,500 youthful service members received the treatment during about 6,700 individual office visits between October 2009 and April 2017.
Last updated on December 10, 2024 at 5:51 p.m
