Hoyer Statement on Trump's Harmful Ban on Transgender Americans Serving in the Military

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on President Trump's announcement banning transgender Americans from serving our country in the military:  

“President Trump’s announcement this morning on Twitter that transgender Americans will not be permitted to serve in the defense of our country is shameful and will endanger our national security.  Banning qualified and talented patriots from service reduces the effectiveness of our Armed Forces and undermines the principles our military works to defend.  It goes against a recent vote in the House, where a bipartisan majority rejected a hateful amendment to deny health care services to currently serving transgender Americans.  The Department of Defense has said that the full integration of transgender service-members will not create problems and is in the long-term interest of our nation’s defense, and transgender Americans are already serving with distinction in our military today.  There have been extensive and conclusive studies conducted by the Department of Defense that debunk exactly the arguments the President made in his tweets. 

“I was proud to help lead the effort to end the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy in 2010, and I will stand against this abrupt and unnecessary change in policy for as long as it takes.  We must ensure that we have the best and strongest military possible, which means making certain that we can recruit and retain all of the talented personnel we need, regardless of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.”