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New Hampshire U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas defended his support for the National Defense Authorization Act that strips trans kids of military members of care in a statement to The Advocate.
A Democratic member of Congress from New Hampshire is raising eyebrows as the only LGBTQ+ lawmaker supporting a military spending package that strips health care access from transgender kids of military service members.
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Rep. Chris Pappas, an out gay co-chair of the LGBTQ+ Congressional Equality Caucus, was among the bipartisan group of 281 members of Congress who voted in favor of the $895.2 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday. The legislation includes provisions restricting gender-affirming care for minors. Pappas is the sole out LGBTQ+ member of Congress to back the legislation. Notably, his vote was unnecessary for the measure to pass, as it garnered a clear majority, with 140 representatives voting against it.
The Equality Caucus, chaired by Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan, condemned the House’s passage of the bill. In a statement released Wednesday, Pocan said, “Our servicemembers should be focusing on keeping our nation safe, not worrying if Congress will let their child get the healthcare that their parents, doctors, and mental health professionals agree they need. Speaker Johnson is playing political games with the health of our servicemembers’ children by inserting himself into private medical decisions and overriding families’ choices—and our servicemembers and their children will pay the price.”
The controversial provision would bar Tricare, the military’s health insurance program, from covering gender-affirming care for transgender children under 18, while still permitting the same treatments for cisgender children. Medical experts, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have emphasized that gender-affirming care is evidence-based, medically necessary, and supported by every major medical and mental health association in the United States. The United States Supreme Court’s justices are currently deliberating on whether Tennesee’s law banning such care for minors is constitutional in U.S. v. Skrmetti.
Pappas defended his vote, saying in a statement to The Advocate, “I strongly oppose the riders that Speaker Johnson included in the NDAA that would limit insurance coverage for military family members. I will continue to fight for full equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender Americans, and my record in Congress demonstrates that.”
In 2019, Pappas criticized then-President Donald Trump for banning transgender people from serving in the military, writing on Twitter, “I joined military service members... [and] House colleagues to stand up vs. a discriminatory ban that will bar transgender Americans from serving. In April the Trump Admin. hopes to implement this un-American ban, politicizing & hurting our military. It must be stopped.” He also helped reintroduce the Equality Act, a piece of legislation that seeks to update federal civil rights laws to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Pappas has also worked to address the legacy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” by introducing legislation to guarantee VA benefits for LGBTQ+ veterans and create an LGBTQ+ Veterans Advisory Committee. Additionally, he led an effort to ban LGBTQ+ panic defenses in federal courts.
“This is a significant bill that provides for our national defense, gives our junior enlisted service members a 14.5 [percent] raise, invests in military housing, and provides key support for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in my district,” Pappas said of his recent vote. “My vote reflects my support for those priorities that are essential for my district and our national defense.”
The NDAA now heads to the Senate, where Democrats are expected to attempt to strip the anti-trans provisions before sending the bill to President Joe Biden. Biden has repeatedly pledged that he “has the back” of transgender children. It’s unclear if he will sign the legislation if it includes the anti-trans health care rider.
The White House did not respond to The Advocate’s questions about Biden’s intentions to veto the bill because of its discriminatory riders attacking trans kids and their parents.
