Donald Trump listens to the national anthem before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on May 29, 2017.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will ban transgender people from serving “in any capacity” in the U. military, apparently reversing a policy his predecessor set to let them serve openly in the ranks.
Trump announced the step in a series of early morning tweets a day after provoking criticism from social conservatives and southern senators for his continuing public disparagement of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the most prominent cultural traditionalist in his cabinet. Treatment of transgender people has become one of the flashpoints in the clash over values in the public sphere.
“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U. Military,” Trump said in three tweets on Wednesday. “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi blasted the action as “vile and hateful” and said in a statement that it would “blindside thousands of patriotic Americans already serving with honor and bravery.”
White House spokesmen didn’t immediately respond to questions about the new policy. A Defense Department spokesman said the department hadn’t yet determined the implications of Trump’s decision for military personnel.
Referring Questions
“We refer all questions about the President’s statements to the White House,” Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a department spokesman, said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to work closely with the White House to address the new guidance provided by the Commander-in-Chief on transgender individuals serving the military. We will provide revised guidance to the Department in the near future.”
Defense Secretary James Mattis in June had delayed for six months the next step in the 2016 Obama-era plan to open the military to transgender people, which had called for the armed services to begin accepting new recruits who are openly transgender by July 1.
The Republican-led House this month rejected an effort to block the Pentagon from paying for gender transition surgeries and hormone therapy, with 24 Republican lawmakers joining Democrats in opposition. The military began paying for gender transition medical care last Oct. 1 under the Obama-era policy.
“No American, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be prohibited from honor + privilege of serving our nation #LGBT,” Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who has a transgender child, said in a tweet.
Mattis’s predecessor, Ash Carter, issued a policy in June 2016 allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military.
How to Understand the Debate Over Transgender Rights: QuickTake
“This is the right thing to do for our people and for the force,” Carter said at the time. “We’re talking about talented Americans who are serving with distinction or who want the opportunity to serve. We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission.”
It’s not clear exactly how many people will be affected by the new Trump policy. The Rand Corp. estimated that there were between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender individuals actively serving in the military, out of 1.3 million service members.
The 2016 study estimated that medical treatments for transgender service members could cost $2.4 million per year, an increase of 0.13 percent in military health costs.
Last month, the Defense Department celebrated LGBT Pride Month, highlighting the contributions of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
“The struggles, sacrifices and successes among the LGBT community continue to shape our history and remind us to uphold tolerance and justice for all,” Anthony M. Kurta, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote in a June 2 memo to the Defense Department.
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