Trump tweets ban on transgender troops in U.S. military service

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. military will not accept transgender troops into its ranks or allow them to serve in any capacity, reversing a policy that began under the Obama administration — and triggering intense criticism from lawmakers and civil libertarians.

In a series of morning tweets, Trump said that, after consulting “with my generals and military experts,” the U.S. government “will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.”

The U.S. military, he said, “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.”

Trump’s decision was made Tuesday, and he informed Defense Secretary Jim Mattis later in the day, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Wednesday. The policy allowing transgender troops to serve was “expensive and disruptive” and affected military readiness, she said.

Rep. Adam Smith (DWash.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, called Trump’s announcement “an unwarranted and disgraceful attack on men and women who have been bravely serving their country.”

It’s unclear how Trump’s tweets will affect the estimated 6,000 transgender troops who are in the military. Under the policy announced in July 2016, those troops were allowed to serve openly. Prior to that, the military discharged them for medical reasons.

It’s also uncertain whether a series of tweets constitute a presidential directive.

After the tweets, the Pentagon issued a statement saying only that it would work with the White House “to address the new guidance” provided by the president.

Sen. John McCain (RAriz.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the sudden news “is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.”