Fifty-three House Democrats have come
out against President Donald Trump's ban on transgender troops.
In a series of tweets late last month,
Trump declared that the military will no longer “accept or allow”
transgender troops to serve “in any capacity.” The president
said that the ban was needed to avoid “tremendous medical costs and
disruption” posed by transgender people serving in the military.
In a letter dated August 4, Democrats
on the House Armed Services and Judiciary Committees say barring
transgender people from military service is unconstitutional.
“It is abundantly clear that any
effort by President Trump to ban military service by transgender
individuals would not only constitute poor policy but would be
unconstitutional on its face,” the representatives wrote.
The letter campaign was organized by
Representatives John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan and Adam Smith of
Washington state.
“We believe any serious or credible
review of the law and the facts in the present case make it clear
that the President's proposed ban on transgender people serving in
the armed forces will weaken, not strengthen our military, and is
blatantly unconstitutional,” the letter states.
Forty-five senators led by New York
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand signed a similar letter. In both letters,
lawmakers called on Secretary of Defense James Mattis “to advise
the president against” the policy change.
On Friday, a White House plan to
implement the president's ban on transgender troops cleared the White
House counsel's office and is now expected to be delivered to Mattis.
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