President Donald Trump announced that the United States will no longer allow transgender people to serve in the military via twitter on Wednesday.
“The United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” the President ranted in a series of tweets.
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
The hasty decision came as a surprise to the Pentagon, transgender activists, and even social conservatives who ended up praising the announcement. The White House has also been unable to respond to inquiries regarding how the policy will be implemented. “That’s something that the Department of Defense and the White House will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The move will reverse an Obama era policy that would have allowed transgender people to openly serve. Last month, the policy was delayed for six months amidst pressures from both the Army and Air Force as they asked for more time to weigh the impact of the policy. Just a week ago, Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) proposed amendment to the defense authorization bill that would have reinstated the ban, however it was voted down. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis even called Hartzler to urge her to withdraw the amendment completely. It is unclear whether Secretary Mattis was notified of the President’s decision.
“Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving.” – Senator John McCain
Trumps announcement has drawn criticism from both opponents and members of Trump’s own party. “The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter, “ said U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who is also Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense has already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military—regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so—and should be treated as the patriots they are.”
Retired Navy Seal Team 6 hero and transgender woman Kristin Beck, also lashed back at the President. “Let’s meet face to face and you tell me I’m not worthy,” said Beck. “Transgender doesn’t matter. Do your service.”
The move is based on a fabricated figure introduced by Representative Hartzler that estimated the cost of providing care for transgender troops would be $1.35 billion over ten years. The actual estimates would be between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually. To put things in perspective, the military spent $41.6 million on Viagra and $84.24 million total on erectile dysfunction prescriptions in the year 2014 alone.
