U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, along with twenty colleagues, has introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2025. The amendment aims to remove language from the House-passed NDAA that restricts servicemembers' parental rights to access necessary health care for their transgender children.
Senator Hirono emphasized the importance of this amendment by stating, "Thousands of transgender children, whose families serve in our armed forces, rely on access to medically necessary health care. This draconian policy would strip away this access, endangering the lives and well-being of these children and their families." She further added that decisions regarding children's health care should be made by families rather than politicians.
The proposed amendment seeks to eliminate Section 708 of the House-passed NDAA, which prohibits TRICARE from providing medically sound health care for transgender military children under 18. This move is supported by every major medical and mental health association in the U.S., representing over 1.3 million doctors who advocate for evidence-based health care for transgender individuals.
If enacted into law without changes, the current NDAA could prevent thousands of transgender children of servicemembers from accessing approved health care services.
The amendment is led by Senator Tammy Baldwin and cosponsored by Senators Ed Markey, Brian Schatz, Jeff Merkley, Cory Booker, Dick Durbin, Patty Murray, Andy Kim, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen, Chris Murphy, Tina Smith, Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, Ron Wyden, Alex Padilla, John Hickenlooper, John Fetterman, Amy Klobuchar, and Martin Heinrich.