New HB would block Trump’s rollback of transgender military service

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a bill Friday that would block Donald Trump from imposing a ban on service by transgender troops.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., prohibits the Defense Department and Coast Guard from ruling out service based on gender identity, mirroring a bipartisan Senate bill introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others in September.

Trump has ordered the military to halt plans to recruit transgender troops, stop providing coverage of gender transition surgeries by March and come up with a plan by February to deal with currently serving transgender troops, who could number in the hundreds or even thousands.