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Pelosi Statement on President Trump’s Military Transgender Ban

July 26, 2017

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Caroline Behringer, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement after President Trump announced via twitter that he will ban transgender men and women from serving "in any capacity" in the military:

"On this very day in 1948, President Harry Truman signed the executive order desegregating the U.S. military. Sixty-nine years later, President Trump has chosen this day to unleash a vile and 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 stepped forward to serve our country. A study commissioned by the Department of Defense found that the cost of providing medically necessary transition-related care would be a paltry 2 to 8 million per year – one one-hundredth of one percent of the military's nearly $50 billion health care budget.

"This morning's tweets reveal a President with no loyalty to the courageous men and women in uniform who risk their lives to defend our freedoms. This disgusting ban will weaken our military and the nation it defends. Once again, President Trump has shown his conduct is driven not by honor, decency, or national security, but by raw prejudice. This is a dark day for thousands of heroes in our military and for our entire country."

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Issues:LGBTQ+