In what will likely be a symbolic move, House Democrats passed a measure Tuesday designed to block funding for Donald Trump's ban on transgender military service. The amendment was attached to a $1 trillion spending bill by a vote of 243-183, with Democratic lawmakers pointing out the ludicrous rationale for the policy.
"The president and his administration wrongfully argue that it's about military readiness and unit cohesion, but these arguments are the same ones that were made to keep the military racially segregated," said Rep. Anthony Brown of Maryland. Brown added that "every service chief" testified that allowing transgender service would not disrupt military readiness.
But the amendment is unlikely to make it through the GOP-led Senate. Trump's misinformed policy, announced via tweet in 2017, was implemented in April and requires all currently serving trans troops to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Those servicemembers who got the diagnosis before implementation of the policy have been allowed to continue serving as their preferred gender, while those who get the diagnosis going forward will be forced to serve as the gender that was assigned to them at birth. The ban also prohibits transgender individuals from joining the military going forward.