Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas is introducing legislation aimed at permanently banning the use of federal funds for transgender surgical procedures. The proposed bill seeks to uphold a previous executive order that restricted such funding, ensuring the measure remains in place beyond the current administration.
Marshall’s proposed legislation, titled the End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act, would prohibit federal funding for gender transition procedures and bar federal healthcare facilities, physicians, and providers from offering such treatments.
The bill does include exceptions for individuals with medically verifiable sex-development disorders. Additionally, treatments for complications resulting from gender transition procedures would still be allowed, regardless of the legality of the initial procedure.
If passed, the bill would prevent federal dollars from funding gender transition surgeries for active military personnel, veterans, and civilians covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Marshall pointed out that a significant portion of transgender individuals are on Medicaid, making this a substantial policy shift. He also estimated that the military spends several million dollars annually on these treatments.
Marshall emphasized concerns about minors undergoing irreversible procedures, arguing that individuals should wait until adulthood before making such decisions. He suggested that addressing underlying personal challenges during adolescence may be a better approach.
The bill has received backing from several Republican senators, including Jim Risch of Idaho, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Tim Sheehy of Montana, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Jim Banks of Indiana, and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi.
In the House of Representatives, Representative Doug LaMalfa of California plans to introduce a companion bill to support the measure.
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