Trump: Extend transgender ban

President tells Pentagon to keep measure in place for indefinite period

Washington — President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to extend indefinitely a ban on transgender individuals joining the military, but he appeared to leave open the possibility of allowing some already in uniform to remain.

Trump gave Defense Secretary Jim Mattis authority to decide the matter of openly transgender individuals already serving, and he said that until the Pentagon chief makes that decision, “no action may be taken against” them.

The Obama administration in June 2016 had changed longstanding policy, declaring that troops could serve openly as transgender individuals. And it set a July 2017 deadline for determining whether transgender people could be allowed to enter the military. Mattis delayed that to Jan. 1, 2018, and Trump has now instructed Mattis to extend it indefinitely.

But on the question of what will happen to those transgender individuals who already are serving openly — estimated to number in the low hundreds — Trump seemed to leave wiggle room for exceptions. A White House official who briefed reporters on the presidential order would not say whether Trump would permit any exceptions.

That official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said Mattis has been directed to take a number of factors into consideration in determining how to deal with transgender individuals already serving. Those factors are to include broad measures such as “military effectiveness,” budgetary constraints and “unit cohesion,” as well as other factors Mattis deems “relevant.” It was not clear whether that means it is possible for Mattis to come to the conclusion that some transgender troops should be allowed to remain.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy issued the following statement Friday after the president’s action:

“President Trump should be ashamed of himself for denying patriotic Americans the right to serve their nation. After all the progress we have made as a nation on this front, I am disgusted by the efforts of this president to roll back the clock. This most recent action by President Trump is appalling and dishonors the service of all Americans. We know that what makes our armed forces the strongest in the world is that they represent the diversity of our nation. In Connecticut, we will continue to do all that we can to ensure that service members are afforded the maximum protection and opportunity to serve our state and nation, regardless of their gender identity or expression. I urge Secretary Mattis to treat all service members with compassion and fairness and resist this blatant act of discrimination by the president.”

Trump gave Mattis six months to come up with a policy on those currently serving, and he must implement it by March 23, 2018, the official said.

In a tweet last month, Trump said the federal government “will not accept or allow” transgender individuals to serve “in any capacity” in the military.

The White House official on Friday said Trump also directed Mattis to halt the use of federal funds to pay for sexual reassignment surgeries and medications, except in cases where it is deemed necessary to protect the health of an individual who has already begun the transition. That policy is to be written within six months and implemented by March 23.

In his directive to Mattis, Trump said he found that his predecessor’s transgender policy was flawed.

“In my judgment, the previous administration failed to identify a sufficient basis to conclude” that ending the longstanding ban on transgender service would not “hinder military effectiveness and lethality” and be disrupting in the ranks, he wrote.

The Pentagon had little to say on the subject Friday. Dana W. White, the main spokeswoman for Mattis, issued a two-sentence statement saying Mattis had received White House guidance on transgender policy, adding, “More information will be forthcoming.”