Trump order seeks to halt gender-affirming treatments for young people
The executive order directs agencies to ensure that hospitals and other institutions receiving federal funding cease providing gender-affirming care for minors.
TroibNews 
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an order that prohibits federal funding for gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19.
The executive directive mandates that agencies ensure that hospitals and other organizations receiving federal funds cease providing gender-affirming care to minors.
According to the order, the U.S. government “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support” any transitions for minors, which includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgical procedures.
Additionally, the administration instructs agencies to withdraw guidance related to the care for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, guidance that is based on recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), a professional organization focused on healthcare for transgender individuals. Major medical organizations typically reference WPATH’s guidance when formulating their care standards.
The order assigns the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the task of publishing its own review within 90 days regarding best practices for the treatment of minors with gender dysphoria.
Furthermore, the order instructs the HHS secretary to “take all appropriate actions” to terminate gender-affirming care for minors. This could be achieved through alterations to Medicare and Medicaid participation conditions, clinical abuse regulations, drug use evaluations, and other supervisory measures. The order also requires the Department of Defense to initiate the removal of gender-affirming care from TRICARE coverage.
Moreover, the order directs the Department of Justice to “prioritize enforcement of protections against female genital mutilation” and to gather state attorneys general to pursue the same objective. Trump also called for the Justice Department to focus on investigations of entities that may be misleading patients regarding the side effects of gender-affirming care. The administration aims to collaborate with Congress to establish rights for children “whose healthy body parts have been damaged” due to gender-affirming care, allowing them and their parents to pursue civil actions.
As for federal employee health insurance, the order specifies that it should not cover gender-affirming care for minors for the 2026 plan year.
The federal government’s position is clear: it “will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” as stated in the order.
Agency heads are instructed to provide a report on the progress of implementing this order within 60 days.
Although gender-affirming care for minors is widely embraced by leading medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics following independent evaluations, detractors point to a review conducted last year by British pediatrician Hilary Cass, which raised questions about the current evidence and recommended caution in treating minors.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
The executive directive mandates that agencies ensure that hospitals and other organizations receiving federal funds cease providing gender-affirming care to minors.
According to the order, the U.S. government “will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support” any transitions for minors, which includes puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgical procedures.
Additionally, the administration instructs agencies to withdraw guidance related to the care for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, guidance that is based on recommendations from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), a professional organization focused on healthcare for transgender individuals. Major medical organizations typically reference WPATH’s guidance when formulating their care standards.
The order assigns the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the task of publishing its own review within 90 days regarding best practices for the treatment of minors with gender dysphoria.
Furthermore, the order instructs the HHS secretary to “take all appropriate actions” to terminate gender-affirming care for minors. This could be achieved through alterations to Medicare and Medicaid participation conditions, clinical abuse regulations, drug use evaluations, and other supervisory measures. The order also requires the Department of Defense to initiate the removal of gender-affirming care from TRICARE coverage.
Moreover, the order directs the Department of Justice to “prioritize enforcement of protections against female genital mutilation” and to gather state attorneys general to pursue the same objective. Trump also called for the Justice Department to focus on investigations of entities that may be misleading patients regarding the side effects of gender-affirming care. The administration aims to collaborate with Congress to establish rights for children “whose healthy body parts have been damaged” due to gender-affirming care, allowing them and their parents to pursue civil actions.
As for federal employee health insurance, the order specifies that it should not cover gender-affirming care for minors for the 2026 plan year.
The federal government’s position is clear: it “will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” as stated in the order.
Agency heads are instructed to provide a report on the progress of implementing this order within 60 days.
Although gender-affirming care for minors is widely embraced by leading medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics following independent evaluations, detractors point to a review conducted last year by British pediatrician Hilary Cass, which raised questions about the current evidence and recommended caution in treating minors.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
