House set to vote on defense policy bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender children

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on the critical defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a ban against gender-affirming care for some transgender children that has further inflamed the politics around the must-pass piece of legislation.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on the critical defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a ban against gender-affirming care for some transgender children that has further inflamed the politics around the must-pass piece of legislation. The legislation, which was the result of a bipartisan compromise, includes a provision that would prevent the military’s health program, TRICARE, from covering gender-affirming care for transgender children of service members. The effort to prohibit these treatments to children has overshadowed some of the bipartisan provisions of the bill, including a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members. It also keeps the politically charged conversation of transgender health care on center stage, as it has been a prominent campaign issue throughout this election season. Previous efforts to legalize a ban against gender-affirming care in the final version of the NDAA failed. Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, announced Tuesday that he would vote against the bill, raising questions about how many Democrats will ultimately support the legislation that usually passes with broad bipartisan support. Smith came out against the legislation after it passed a key procedural hurdle on Tuesday, even though he helped negotiate the deal. “Blanketly denying health care to people who need it—just because of a biased notion against transgender people—is wrong,” Smith said in a statement. “The inclusion of this harmful provision puts the lives of children at risk and may force thousands of service members to make the choice of continuing their military service or leaving to ensure their child can get the health care they need.” Smith criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for pandering to “the most extreme elements of his party” by including the provision.