House GOP Fast-Tracks Legislation Banning US Military Funding of Medically Necessary Transgender Health Care

Republican Congresswoman Who Wants to Deny Transition-Related Health Care Says Transgender Service Members Are a ‘Domestic Threat’

House Republicans are fast-tracking an amendment that would ban the U.S. military from funding transition-related health care for transgender individuals. Very late Wednesday night the Rules Committee voted along party lines, 8-2, to defeat an attempt by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) to block the amendment from reaching the floor, The Hill reports. 

The “Prohibition of Department of Defense Medical Treatment Related to Gender Transition” amendment, filed by Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, is now expected to receive a vote by the full House Thursday.

“Funds available to the Department of Defense may not be used to provide medical treatment (other than mental health treatment) related to gender transition to a person entitled to medical care,” the amendment states.

It was filed July 7, less than a week ago. Assured her amendment would reach the floor, Hartzler did not even have to speak before the Rules Committee Wednesday night.

Not only would “transition-related care like hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery … be off limits to transgender troops,” according to The Washington Blade‘s Chris Johnson but “the amendment would also [bar] the military from paying for transition-related care for the dependent of a service member, such as a spouse or a child who’s transgender.”

Transition-related or gender affirming health care has been deemed medically necessary.

Transgender service members are already allowed to serve openly. Johnson notes “it will be the first time in history the U.S. history has considered a measure specifically aimed at rolling back rights for transgender people.”

Earlier this month Rep. Hartzler called American armed forces service members who are transgender a “domestic threat” and compared them to ISIS, North Korea, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“At a time when we should be focusing on the threats from North Korea, and Putin, and ISIS,” Hartzler told Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, “we’re having to deal with a threat here at home — a domestic threat — of allowing transgenders [sic] in our service, which is a real problem because it impacts their readiness, and it’s a huge cost for our military,” she falsely claimed. 

Rep. Hartzler dramatically overstated the projected costs to the U.S. military, by a factor of 16, according to ThinkProgress, of transgender service members health care.

As NCRM has reported, Hartzler once gave a speech comparing same-sex marriage to polygamy, incest, marrying children, and even to a three-year old driving a car. She also has decried the training service members might receive in working with transgender service members. When “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was rescinded all military members underwent similar training. Reports show only two soldiers quit as a result.

Hartzler, however, chose to describe that possible training as having service members sitting around learning how “their rights are going to be threatened.” 

Image by KOMUnews via Flickr and a CC license