Pentagon to reinstate medical care for transgender service members
The recent decision represents yet another challenge for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has prominently focused on culture war issues throughout his tenure.
TroibNews 
The Pentagon is set to reinstate gender-affirming care for transgender service members, as detailed in a memo obtained by PMG, marking a significant setback for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s efforts to limit their involvement in the military.
According to the memo, the Defense Department is reverting to the Biden-era medical policy for transgender service members following a court ruling that deemed Hegseth's restrictions unconstitutional. Although the administration is appealing this decision, a federal appeals court in California has denied their request to pause the policy during the ongoing litigation.
As a consequence, the administration cannot discharge transgender service members or curtail their medical care, actions that were priorities for President Donald Trump and Hegseth. The administration argued that its restrictions targeted individuals facing medical challenges related to “gender dysphoria,” but two federal judges indicated in March that the policy effectively functioned as a ban on transgender individuals and violated constitutional rights.
On Thursday, the Trump administration petitioned the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to prohibit transgender service members while the legal disputes proceed.
Both judges mandated the military to refrain from discharging over 1,000 transgender troops and to resume covering their medical care, including surgical procedures and hormone therapy. The memo reflects the Pentagon's latest efforts to adhere to these judicial directives.
For Hegseth, this situation represents another complication, especially as he has emphasized culture war themes—like adjusting recruitment standards and attempting to reinstate the ban—as part of his strategy to enhance military effectiveness. He has reinforced this narrative while facing multiple controversies, including the unauthorized sharing of sensitive military information and conflicts among his senior advisors.
“Service members and all other covered beneficiaries 19 years of age or older may receive appropriate care for their diagnosis of [gender dysphoria], including mental health care and counseling and newly initiated or ongoing cross-sex hormone therapy,” stated Dr. Stephen Ferrara, the Pentagon’s acting assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, in an April 21 memo.
At the beginning of his administration, Trump signed an expected order prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military, a move he first made in 2017. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups swiftly condemned the order as discriminatory.
Thus far, the courts have rejected the Pentagon's claims that the inclusion of transgender troops undermines military effectiveness. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled in March that there is no substantiating evidence that transgender troops impact military readiness and instructed the Pentagon to revert to the previous policies.
A D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel recently became the first appellate court to consider arguments regarding Trump’s transgender military policy but offered little insight into its potential ruling.
Defense officials acknowledged in a March memo that they would comply with the court's directives but did not specify the course of action the department would pursue. Hegseth has publicly criticized U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes for her ruling, referring to her derisively as “Commander Reyes” in a post on X.
Facing pressure from Democratic lawmakers to comply with the court ruling, Hegseth has been accused of undermining military recruitment needs.
“Given the unwillingness or inability of 99.6 percent of the U.S. population to serve in our military, the last thing our nation should be doing is rejecting patriotic Americans who are ready and willing to serve our country,” a group of 14 Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is an Iraq veteran, wrote to Hegseth. “The Trump administration’s repeated attacks on the transgender community reveal an ideological obsession rooted in a poor understanding of science.”
The Pentagon referred inquiries to the Justice Department, which did not provide an immediate response.
A February memo from then-acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness Darin Selnick—who was dismissed by Hegseth last week—asserted that service members or potential recruits with "a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria" are "incompatible" with U.S. military service.
In a speech at the Army War College, Hegseth celebrated the first 100 days of the Trump administration, announcing to the assembled officers that there is “no more social engineering…no more gender confusion, no more pronouns, no more excuses,” within the military.
Some officials interpret the latest developments as a concession by the administration, which seems to be accepting a loss in court while continuing to fight a public relations battle to exclude transgender individuals from military service.
“They’ve scared all of the trans people off,” remarked an individual familiar with Pentagon discussions, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue. “What’s to be gained by continuing to fight with the courts? It seems pretty easy to stop getting crazy with it. You won. You got what you wanted.”
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
According to the memo, the Defense Department is reverting to the Biden-era medical policy for transgender service members following a court ruling that deemed Hegseth's restrictions unconstitutional. Although the administration is appealing this decision, a federal appeals court in California has denied their request to pause the policy during the ongoing litigation.
As a consequence, the administration cannot discharge transgender service members or curtail their medical care, actions that were priorities for President Donald Trump and Hegseth. The administration argued that its restrictions targeted individuals facing medical challenges related to “gender dysphoria,” but two federal judges indicated in March that the policy effectively functioned as a ban on transgender individuals and violated constitutional rights.
On Thursday, the Trump administration petitioned the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to prohibit transgender service members while the legal disputes proceed.
Both judges mandated the military to refrain from discharging over 1,000 transgender troops and to resume covering their medical care, including surgical procedures and hormone therapy. The memo reflects the Pentagon's latest efforts to adhere to these judicial directives.
For Hegseth, this situation represents another complication, especially as he has emphasized culture war themes—like adjusting recruitment standards and attempting to reinstate the ban—as part of his strategy to enhance military effectiveness. He has reinforced this narrative while facing multiple controversies, including the unauthorized sharing of sensitive military information and conflicts among his senior advisors.
“Service members and all other covered beneficiaries 19 years of age or older may receive appropriate care for their diagnosis of [gender dysphoria], including mental health care and counseling and newly initiated or ongoing cross-sex hormone therapy,” stated Dr. Stephen Ferrara, the Pentagon’s acting assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, in an April 21 memo.
At the beginning of his administration, Trump signed an expected order prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the military, a move he first made in 2017. LGBTQ+ advocacy groups swiftly condemned the order as discriminatory.
Thus far, the courts have rejected the Pentagon's claims that the inclusion of transgender troops undermines military effectiveness. U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled in March that there is no substantiating evidence that transgender troops impact military readiness and instructed the Pentagon to revert to the previous policies.
A D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel recently became the first appellate court to consider arguments regarding Trump’s transgender military policy but offered little insight into its potential ruling.
Defense officials acknowledged in a March memo that they would comply with the court's directives but did not specify the course of action the department would pursue. Hegseth has publicly criticized U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes for her ruling, referring to her derisively as “Commander Reyes” in a post on X.
Facing pressure from Democratic lawmakers to comply with the court ruling, Hegseth has been accused of undermining military recruitment needs.
“Given the unwillingness or inability of 99.6 percent of the U.S. population to serve in our military, the last thing our nation should be doing is rejecting patriotic Americans who are ready and willing to serve our country,” a group of 14 Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is an Iraq veteran, wrote to Hegseth. “The Trump administration’s repeated attacks on the transgender community reveal an ideological obsession rooted in a poor understanding of science.”
The Pentagon referred inquiries to the Justice Department, which did not provide an immediate response.
A February memo from then-acting undersecretary for personnel and readiness Darin Selnick—who was dismissed by Hegseth last week—asserted that service members or potential recruits with "a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria" are "incompatible" with U.S. military service.
In a speech at the Army War College, Hegseth celebrated the first 100 days of the Trump administration, announcing to the assembled officers that there is “no more social engineering…no more gender confusion, no more pronouns, no more excuses,” within the military.
Some officials interpret the latest developments as a concession by the administration, which seems to be accepting a loss in court while continuing to fight a public relations battle to exclude transgender individuals from military service.
“They’ve scared all of the trans people off,” remarked an individual familiar with Pentagon discussions, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue. “What’s to be gained by continuing to fight with the courts? It seems pretty easy to stop getting crazy with it. You won. You got what you wanted.”
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
