House Passes Military Bill Banning Transgender Health Care
said Democrats didn’t “whip” the NDAA vote or advise their caucus members to adopt a specific position, instead allowing individual members to vote their conscience.Jeffries claimed there were “a lot of positive things” within the NDAA that had bipartisan support but also acknowledged the bill contained some “troubling” positions.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed the bill’s various provisions, including a pay raise for junior service members and improved housing for military families.
He also fully endorsed more controversial provisions, including the ban on gender-affirming care for minor dependents and a prohibition on the teaching of “critical race theory” at military academies.The bill now heads to the U.S.
Senate. If it passes, it will head to the desk of President Biden, who has the option of vetoing the bill or signing it into law.If Biden signs the NDAA into law, it would mark the first federal statute placing restrictions on the LGBTQ community since the passage of the Clinton-era “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prevented gay, lesbian, and bisexual military members from serving openly in the military.Brendan Marty, a Navy veteran with a transgender daughter, told The Hill that federal lawmakers are refusing to listen to medical experts with expertise in treating gender dysphoria.
