Trans ban in new memo
Prez orders
PRESIDENT TRUMP on Friday followed through on his tweet about banning transgender Americans from serving in the military by releasing a memo directing the Pentagon to begin rolling back the Obama-era order that allowed them to serve openly.
Trump’s directive appears to leave open the possibility of allowing some transgender people already in uniform to remain, but also opens the door for further controversy and legal issues.
The memo gives Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to decide what to do with openly transgenderservice members and says that until the Pentagon chief makes that decision, “no action may be taken against” them.
Mattis was directed to take a broad number of factors such as “military effectiveness,” budgetary constraints and “unit cohesion,” into consideration in determining how to deal with transgender individuals already in the armed forces.
Trump’s memo also prevents the Department of Defense from funding hormone therapy or gender transition-related surgeries for active service members, CNN reported. Exceptions could be made to protect the health of a someone who has already begun the transition, a White House official told The Associated Press.
The Obama administration changed longstanding policy in June 2016, declaring that troops could serve openly as transgender individuals. It set a July 2017 deadline for determining whether transgender people could be allowed to enter the military.
The directive comes one month after Trump announced on Twitter that transgender troops would be banned from serving. “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.S. Military,” Trump said. PRESIDENT TRUMP is criticizing the Tennessee Republican senator who questioned his “competence” and “stability.”
“Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ’18,” Trump tweeted Friday. “Tennessee not happy!”
Corker said last week Trump hadn’t “been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to” in dealing with crises like the violent protests in Charlottesville, Va.