Republicans suffered one significant defeat and two potential wins during last Tuesday’s House Armed Services Committee session on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027.
The NDAA is an act that stipulates rules, regulations and funding for the Department of Defense (or the War Department, if you’re an annoying asshole), negotiated on an annual basis by our congressional representatives. First passed in 1961, the NDAA has become a popular arena for riders, or unrelated stipulations sneaked into legislative acts for political purposes. You can guess, I’m sure, that sticking it to transgender Americans has been top priority for Republicans presiding over the NDAA in recent years.
Last Tuesday’s proposal by Lauren Boebert, the representative for Colorado’s 4th congressional district, was particularly odious.
If you’re a regular Assigned reader, or even vaguely familiar with what’s going on in the news, you’ll know that an Executive Order issued by Donald Trump just a few days into his second term declared trans Americans unfit for military service, because of our wiley gender magicks and inherently untrustworthy nature. The Justice Department under Trump has been fighting to justify that service ban (and the subsequent firings) in federal courtrooms ever since, suffering a handful of setbacks despite divine intervention from the Supreme Court.
Oh, and most recently, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinstituted hormone therapy… for cisgender men.
Anyway, Boebert’s proposal, House Amendment 254, sought to enshrine into federal law the trans military ban that currently exists only as an Executive Order and the tacit approval of blatant discrimination from the Supreme Court. During the meeting, she said:
Gender dysphoria was considered a mental disorder by psychologists for decades until 2019. Even the leftist World Health Organization listed it as a mental illness in the international classification of diseases. According to the Williams Institute, 81 percent of transgender adults have seriously contemplated suicide. That is 15 times higher than the general population. Forty-two percent of transgender adults have attempted suicide, and 56 percent have harmed themselves. People with gender dysphoria are a danger to themselves and others.
Every day we trust our brave men and women in uniform to protect us and to use these weapons that we possess responsibly for the defense of America. We the people have placed our faith and trust in our Armed Forces, and they have placed their faith in this Congress to make responsible policy. The United States of America cannot allow mentally ill individuals to possess and operate these weapons, and this Congress cannot allow transgenders to jeopardize the safety and readiness of our Armed Forces.
How breathtakingly evil. People like Boebert enact discriminatory laws and encourage widespread hatred against us, then turn around and try to punish us for the mental health crises we experience as a result.
But don’t worry, Lauren sees our pain and hears our cries for help! When Representative Mark Takano, a Democrat from California, stated unequivocally that there is no justification for this ban beyond hatred and prejudice, Boebert replied: “[If] gender dysphoria isn’t a mental illness, then why do 42 percent of those who identify as transgender attempt suicide? We don’t hand nuclear weapons and fighter jets to people in that kind of crisis. We shouldn’t start now. We should be helping these people in real ways rather than handing them weapons of destruction.”
What help Boebert wants to provide to trans Americans, I could not tell you, because she spent the next few minutes bickering with the acting committee chair over who is allowed to speak. She is an immaculate stateswoman, to be sure.
The amendment failed to pass, with every voting Democrat and four Republicans striking it down. Regrettably, Nancy Mace, the outgoing representative for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district who hates trans mice, craves a no holds barred grudge match against colleague Jasmine Crockett, and once exploded every bone in her arm via friendly handshake, managed to have two anti-trans amendments passed.
Amendment 255 would prohibit “gender related medical care” under TRICARE, and Amendment 256 would bar trans girls from participating in sports at Defense Department education system schools.
These amendments are reprehensible attacks on military personnel, whose families rely on TRICARE to cover the cost of their necessary healthcare. Why Nancy Mace should be allowed to determine whether or not military members’ kids are allowed to receive safe, proven effective treatments for what ails them, I could not possibly tell you.
The broader NDAA passed the House on July 22, and will now head to the Senate for another floor debate on various amendments and the overall structure of the bill. Both chambers of congress must be in agreement on the exact contents of the bill before it can be presented to the president for final approval.
