Trump Bans Transgender People From Military, Citing Medical Costs Among Reasons

The New York Times: Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed In The Military
President Trump abruptly announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military on Wednesday, blindsiding his defense secretary and Republican congressional leaders with a snap decision that reversed a year-old policy reviled by social conservatives. Mr. Trump made the declaration on Twitter, saying that American forces could not afford the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” of transgender service members. He said he had consulted generals and military experts, but Jim Mattis, the defense secretary, was given only a day’s notice about the decision. (Davis and Cooper, 7/26)

The Washington Post: Trump Announces That He Will Ban Transgender People From Serving In The Military
Trump’s decision comes two weeks after the House rejected an amendment to the annual defense policy bill that would have blocked the Pentagon from offering gender transition therapies to active-duty service members. Twenty-four Republicans joined 190 Democrats voting to reject the measure. But conservative lawmakers — many of them members of the House Freedom Caucus — had threatened to withhold support for a spending bill if Congress did not act to prohibit the Pentagon from paying for the procedures. The impasse broadly threatened government spending, but most importantly for Trump, it potentially held up money that had been appropriated for the border wall between the United States and Mexico, a key promise he had made during the campaign. (Phillip, Gibbons-Neff and DeBonis, 7/26)

Politico: Inside Trump’s Snap Decision To Ban Transgender Troops
After a week sparring with his attorney general and steaming over the Russia investigation consuming his agenda, President Donald Trump was closing in on an important win. House Republicans were planning to pass a spending bill stacked with his campaign promises, including money to build his border wall with Mexico. But an internal House Republican fight over transgender troops was threatening to blow up the bill. (Bade and Dawsey, 7/26)

NPR: 5 Unanswered Questions About Trump's 'Ban' On Transgender Troops
Here's a look at 5 questions Trump raised with his tweets. (Ewing, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Hill Democrats Slam Trump’s Military Transgender Ban, While GOP Is Caught By Surprise
Lawmakers in both parties slammed President Trump’s decision on Wednesday to bar transgender Americans from serving in the military, while many of his allies on Capitol Hill remained largely perplexed or silent. The president’s decision, announced in a series of tweets, is yet another move that confused and divided elements of his party at a time when it is already roiled by disagreements over the future of a proposed health-care overhaul and of embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has faced a barrage of criticism from Trump in recent days. (DeBonis and O'Keefe, 7/26)

The Washington Post: GOP Reps. Comstock, Taylor Votes On Transgender Issue Reflect Political Landscape Under Trump
President Trump’s decision to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military highlights recent votes on a related issue by two Republican members of Congress from Virginia whose districts are being targeted by Democrats in 2018. They took opposite stances on a measure that would have blocked an Obama-era practice requiring the Pentagon to pay for gender transition surgeries and hormone therapy. The “Hartzler amendment” — named after Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), who proposed adding it to the annual defense policy bill — failed by a vote of 214 to 209. (Portnoy, 7/26)

Politico: VA’s Shulkin Was 'Unaware' Trump Would Announce Transgender Ban
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said Wednesday that he "was not aware" that President Donald Trump would announce on Twitter that he was barring transgender people from serving in the military. (Siu, 7/26)

McClatchy: Pentagon Caught Off Guard By Trump's Transgender Ban
The Pentagon was blindsided by President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that his administration would block transgender people from the U.S. military, and the Defense Department has no idea yet how it will affect troops already serving. The president’s declaration on Twitter, saying transgender people would not be allowed to serve “in any capacity,” came a year after the Defense Department under former president Barack Obama lifted its ban on transgender troops serving openly. (Bergengruen, 7/26)

The New York Times: For Transgender Service Members, A Mix Of Sadness, Anger And Fear
Joining the Navy was one of the best decisions Alec Kerry said she had ever made. The other was coming out as transgender. “The Navy taught me how people can come together and work hard to achieve something bigger than themselves,” said Petty Officer Kerry, 24, who is training to operate nuclear reactors and soon plans to adopt the name Eva. “Strangely enough, I think what the Navy taught us about integrity was what gave me the courage to come out. I had to be honest about who I was with myself and the people I served with.” (Philipps, 7/26)

The Associated Press: Trump's Military Transgender Ban Prompts LGBT Outrage
Most LGBT-rights activists never believed Donald Trump's campaign promises to be their friend. But with his move Wednesday to ban transgender people from military service, on top of other actions and appointments, they now see him as openly hostile. (Crary, 7/27)

Los Angeles Times: Transgender Veterans Outraged By Trump's Sudden Ban On Military Service
Carla Lewis enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1990. But the next year, after a background check for a top-secret position revealed that she had seen a counselor for gender identity issues, she was honorably discharged for what her military papers described as “Conditions That Interfere With Military Service — Not Disability — Mental Disorders.” (Pearce, 7/26)

KQED: ‘You Don’t Just Quit’: California Hits Back At Trump’s Transgender Military Ban
President Donald Trump’s announcement early Wednesday that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve was met with swift reaction and strong opposition among California’s transgender military community and congressional delegation. Trump made the announcement in a series of tweets, concluding with: “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming … victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” (Leitsinger, 7/26)

Columbus Dispatch: Transgender Ohioans With Military Ties Shocked, Angry Over Trump's Ban
In a series of tweets posted around 9 a.m. Wednesday, Trump said: “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.” (King, 7/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Transgender Ban Is All About Trump Shoring Up His Base
Banning transgender personnel from the military was an easy way for Trump to appeal to his conservative base, which has shown signs of turning on him in recent days because of his ongoing criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Time will tell” if Sessions remains employed, Trump said earlier this week. (Garofoli, 7/26)