Pelosi Remarks at Press Conference Responding to President Trump’s Ban on Transgender Americans in the Military
Contact: Ashley Etienne/Caroline Behringer, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Congressman Joseph Kennedy III and House Democrats at a press conference calling on the President to reverse his insulting and degrading new policy banning transgender Americans from serving in the military. Below are the Leader's remarks:
Leader Pelosi. Thank you Congressman [Joseph] Kennedy for your great leadership of the Transgender Equality Caucus and for your wonderful words today. Thank you, Joe. Thank you for introducing us to Blue and her mom Jessica. Thank you, Blue, for your courage, we are honored by your presence. As we are honored by [Human Right Campaign President] Chad Griffin and [National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director] Mara Keisling for their ongoing leadership again and again.
I am honored to be here with all of my colleagues and to remind the President of the United States that on this day, this very day in 1948, President Truman signed the executive order desegregating the U.S. military. Here we are, 69 years later, President Trump has chosen this day to commit an act of cowardice. It is a cowardly act: the way he did it and, especially, what he did. On this day, to release a vile, hateful agenda that will blindside thousands of patriotic Americans already serving with honor and bravery.
It is a cruel and arbitrary decision designed to humiliate transgender Americans who have stepped forward to serve and defend our country. The President's allegations of tremendous – tremendous - medical cost are bold-faced lies: a ludicrous pretense for his hateful campaign against these brave men and women in uniform and those who have become veterans. A study commissioned by the Department of Defense found, my colleagues, that the cost of providing medically necessary care to be very small. In fact, every year, the Pentagon spends five times more on Viagra than it does for transition-related care. Five times more on Viagra.
This morning's tweets reveal a president with no respect for the courageous men and women who risk their lives to defend our freedoms. This disgusting ban will weaken our military and the land that it defends. This is not about strengthening our country. Once again, President Trump has shown that his conduct is driven not by honor, decency or national security but by raw prejudice. They have even said they thought this was a political advantage for them.
So this is a dark day for thousands of heroes in our military, but it is a dark day for all of us, for our entire country. And with that, I am honored to bring up a person whose leadership I have respected for a long time. She is the National Director for the Center for Transgender Equality, Mara Keisling.
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