The House of Representatives voted down a Republican proposal to ban the Pentagon from paying for gender-transition surgeries after 24 GOP congressmen crossed party lines to join the Democratic side.
Republican Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler’s proposal to restrict funding for transgender members of the military was shut down in a close 209-214 vote on the the House floor Thursday after 24 GOP members sided with Democrats. Former President Barack Obama initiated the social policy changes that the Pentagon enacted in 2015.
“The Obama transgender policy, which was implemented without input from members of Congress, is ill-conceived and contrary to our goals of increasing troop readiness and investing defense dollars into addressing budget shortfalls of the past,” Hartzler said in a statement. “By recruiting and allowing transgender individuals to serve in our military we are subjecting taxpayers to high medical costs including up to $130,000 per transition surgery, lifetime hormone treatments, and additional surgeries to address the high percentage of individuals who experience complications.”