Four House Republicans BLOCK attempt to codify Trump's transgender military ban

Four House Republicans joined Democrats on Tuesday to defeat an amendment that would have written President Donald Trump's executive order barring transgender individuals from serving in the US military into federal law.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., failed in a narrow 212-217 vote during House consideration of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass defense policy bill that sets priorities and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense. The Republicans who voted against the amendment were Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Delegate James Moylan of Guam, and Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the Northern Mariana Islands. The measure was defeated after all Democrats opposed it.

Boebert's amendment sought to codify President Trump's January 2025 executive order, which states that "expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service." The order also directs the Department of Defense to prohibit biological males from using female-designated sleeping, changing, and bathing facilities, and vice versa.

While the executive order remains in effect, the vote comes as legal challenges to the administration's transgender military policy continue to move through the courts. In June, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2-1 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's policy requiring the separation of some currently serving transgender service members was likely motivated by unconstitutional animus. However, the court noted that the case did not address restrictions on future enlistments, which involve different legal considerations.

Republicans have put restrictions on transgender-identifying males participating in the military, women's sports and other areas as a key part of their legislative agenda, in an attempt to protect the rights of women, as well as military readiness, fairness and privacy. Democrats have opposed the efforts, alleging they "unlawfully discriminate." The NDAA is expected to continue advancing through Congress with additional amendments before lawmakers negotiate a final version with the Senate.