WASHINGTON — A major defense policy bill slated to clear the House of Representatives on Wednesday would include a ban on gender-affirming care for military children — a provision that drew opposition from the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
The sweeping bill — known as the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA — was negotiated between top lawmakers in the House and Senate. But Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the former chairman of the Armed Services Department who is now the panel’s ranking member, said he would oppose passage of the NDAA because of the package’s inclusion of the ban language.
“[B]Surreptitiously denying health care to people who need it — just because of prejudicial views about transgender people — is wrong,” Smith said in a statement Tuesday. “Including this harmful provision puts children’s lives at risk and could force thousands of service members to make the choice to continue their military service or leave to ensure their child gets the health care they need.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had personally pushed for the controversial provision to be included in the package. In his statement, Smith accused Johnson of fighting for the ban to appease conservatives at his conference ahead of the Jan. 3 vote to keep him as chairman for two more years.
‘Instead of taking that [bipartisan] And to ensure that service members and military families get the support they need and deserve, he chose to pander to the most extreme elements of his party in an effort to retain his speakership,” Smith said.
Congress typically passes the NDAA with large, bipartisan votes. But the margin could be smaller this time in the House of Representatives, as some Democrats are expected to follow Smith’s lead in voting no. The legislation is still expected to pass the House of Representatives and then move to the Senate.
The NDAA, which authorizes appropriations for the Defense Department and sets defense policy, expires at the end of this year.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters before the vote that his team was not urging rank-and-file members to vote on the bill one way or another.
The provision in question applies specifically to Tricare, the military’s health care program, and would “prohibit medical treatment for military dependents under the age of 18 who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.”
Republicans believe their attacks on transgender rights during the 2024 campaign helped propel them to victory. And now they’re doubling down on that strategy. After the election, Johnson issued a new policy banning transgender women from using women’s restrooms in the House of Representatives — directly targeting Rep.-elect. Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
Johnson also played a role in the fight for a provision that would have expanded Tricare coverage to include in vitro fertilization treatments. The speaker “made dropping it a red line in the negotiations,” according to a Senate aide familiar with the talks.
But the speaker’s office said the disagreement was more nuanced. Both the House and Senate committees had passed separate NDAAs, which included provisions that made it easier for military families to access IVF treatment. However, House and Senate negotiators could not agree on “adequate protection against life,” the speaker’s office said.
“The President remains pro-IVF and has encouraged states to tackle the issue in a responsible and ethical manner,” a spokesperson for Johnson said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
