All three US Congress members from Vermont — Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, and US Rep. Becca Balint — voted against the major defense bill with its controversial measure to limit gender-affirming medical care for the children of US military personnel. The bill passed in both House and Senate, which sent it to President Biden for signing last week.
Reports VT Digger:
While the annual defense authorization legislation, which sets Pentagon policy, has for decades passed with little debate, the bill became embroiled in controversy at the 11th hour this month after GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana pushed for the provision restricting youth access to gender-affirming health care.
Top Democrats including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York had argued that the bill, considered a “must-pass” piece of legislation each year, contained important provisions for bolstering national defense regardless. Vermont’s senators, meanwhile, also took issue with a fundamental aspect of the legislation — its $895 billion price tag. …
“Republicans have decided to politicize this important funding responsibility with yet another attack on military families with trans children,” Balint said. “While Democrats support age appropriate, medically recommended health care for everyone, Republicans have singled out these military families and stripped them of life saving care.”
While the legislation sets out the government’s plans for the Pentagon for the upcoming year, it does not appropriate the funding for them. That will have to come in a separate appropriations bill, which Congress is yet to approve.
Read the complete VT Digger story here.
Not a subscriber? Sign up today for a free subscription to Boston Spirit magazine, New England’s premier LGBT magazine. We will send you a copy of Boston Spirit 6 times per year and we never sell/rent our subscriber information. Click HERE to sign up!
