Two senators aim to challenge Trump's transgender troops order in defense bill
Source: The Washington Post
By Karoun Demirjian September 5 at 10:56 PM
Two senators are preparing an amendment to challenge President Trump’s announced ban on transgender people serving in the military that they hope to attach to a sweeping defense bill the chamber is set to consider this month.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that she is drafting the amendment with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to “try to protect the transgender troops” against the order that Trump initially issued via Twitter in July banning them from the military.
In a series of tweets, the president wrote that the government “will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” Last month, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis froze implementation of the president’s policy until the Pentagon can convene experts to help determine how to best carry it out. In an official memorandum, the White House gave Mattis until Feb. 1 to make that determination.
The backlash to Trump’s order has been swift and bipartisan — but it is not yet clear what support there will be for Gillibrand’s planned amendment. Representatives for Collins and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is managing the bill, declined to comment for this story.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/two-senators-plan-to-challenge-trumps-transgender-troops-order-in-defense-bill/2017/09/05/b353bb50-9294-11e7-8754-d478688d23b4_story.html
