Report by Paula Antolini
July 26, 2017 2:ooPM EDT
Trump Announces Ban on Transgender People Serving in Military, Statements from Sen. McCain and Sen. Murphy
Wednesday, in a series of tweets, “President Donald Trump announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military reversing U.S. policy,” reports NBCnews.
Trump wrote, “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.”
“The abrupt policy shift will affect thousands of transgender troops in the military,” NBCnews reports.
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Statement by SASC Chairman John McCain on Transgender Americans in the Military
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement today on President Trump’s tweet regarding transgender Americans in the military:
“The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.
“The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense has already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military—regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so—and should be treated as the patriots they are.
“The Department of Defense is currently conducting a study on the medical obligations it would incur, the impact on military readiness, and related questions associated with the accession of transgender individuals who are not currently serving in uniform and wish to join the military. I do not believe that any new policy decision is appropriate until that study is complete and thoroughly reviewed by the Secretary of Defense, our military leadership, and the Congress.
“The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to follow closely and conduct oversight on the issue of transgender individuals serving in the military.”
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Senator Chris Murphy Released the Following Statement after Trump Announces Ban on Transgendered People Serving in Military:
Murphy: “Anyone who wants to and is qualified to serve in our military should be able to do so, period.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released a statement on Wednesday after President Trump announced that he has banned transgender people from serving in the U.S. military.
“Anyone who wants to and is qualified to serve in our military should be able to do so, period. Discrimination should have no place in our Armed Forces,” said Murphy. “There are thousands of members of the transgender community who are currently bravely and ably serving our country today. I’ll work with my colleagues to overturn this hateful policy.”
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