The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed its annual military appropriations bill with a rider that would prohibit the children of U.S. service members from accessing gender-affirming healthcare under the Pentagon’s TRICARE program.
According to the Washington Blade, the bill was approved 281-140 but is likely to stall in the Senate due to the inclusion of the transgender healthcare rider. President Joe Biden said he would veto any legislation that targets transgender rights.
House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly insisted on adding the anti-trans policy after a final version of the bill had already been negotiated by the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.
In a statement, U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) rebuked Johnson’s addition to the bill.
“Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong,” Smith said, accusing Johnson of “pandering to the most extreme elements of this party to ensure that he retains his speakership.”
