WASHINGTON — The White House is preparing guidance for the Pentagon to carry out President Donald Trump’s decision to bar transgender people from the military, but the ban appears to have exceptions for current service members, according to a military officer familiar with the deliberations.
The draft details suggest that White House officials are backing away from the blanket ban Trump described, instead giving discretion to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis to retain people now serving in the military while barring new entrants who are transgender.
Mattis reportedly could allow a self-declared transgender service member to remain in the military if the person is considered capable of being deployed in a war zone, in military exercises or aboard ship.
The Pentagon would have to stop admitting transgender people into the military, end payments for medical treatment related to gender transition, and fully implement the restrictions within six months, according to the draft guidelines, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal in Thursday’s editions. The guidelines are not final and have not been officially sent to the Pentagon. They are still being vetted by Trump administration lawyers to try to protect against likely legal challenges.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn’t say whether the White House was close to sending such guidance to the Defense Department. “When we have an announcement on that I’ll let you know,” she said.
In anticipation, however, one congressional critic vowed to seek legislation to undo any ban. Democrats and Republicans have said that anyone who wants to serve should be allowed to do so.
“When I was bleeding to death in my Black Hawk helicopter after I was shot down, I didn’t care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender, black, white or brown,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a Democrat who lost both her legs in the helicopter crash during her Army service in Iraq.
Trump unexpectedly announced the ban on Twitter on July 26, writing that the military would no longer “accept or allow” transgender troops to serve “in any capacity.”
The announcement was a reversal for Trump, who had promised repeatedly during his presidential campaign to support the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Although the president wrote that he decided after “consultation with … generals and military experts,” top military officials said they were blindsided. In an unusual move, the Pentagon indicated it would not take action without fuller presidential guidance through proper channels.