Through an executive order executed on January 28th, 202,5 President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop funding gender transition services for citizens under 19 years old. Federal coverage through TRICARE as well as Medicaid now refuses to pay for gender-affirming medical treatment.
Through legal actions and funding policy changes, this order stimulates strong opposition against these medical procedures and focuses its impact on healthcare systems backed by federal funding.
According to the executive order, the federal government prohibits financial backing or promotional support for minor gender transitions. Minors aged under 19 cannot obtain puberty blocker hormone therapy or transgender surgical procedures under the announcement of this ban. The waiting period for legal suability against medical practitioners performing gender-affirming surgery is concurrently driving authorities to apply increased enforcement to existing laws.
Whenever a person attains the presidential position later this year they have declared that America will recognize people through official policies as either males or females alone. According to him, the federal government refuses to authorize the performance of surgical procedures for sex-identity modification on children.
The order has been criticized by human rights organizations and medical advocacy groups, who say it infringes on the rights and well-being of transgender youth. The American Medical Association and other major medical associations have supported access to gender-affirming care for minors, which they say helps reduce rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among transgender youth.
This measure is the latest in President Trump’s unwinding of protections for transgender people. Earlier in his presidency, he suspended the availability of passports with an “X” gender marker and is expected to ban transgender people from military service. Public opinion on these measures remains divided, with roughly half of voters opposing bans on transgender care for minors.
Legal challenges against the executive order are expected, with opponents arguing that it violates the rights of trans youth and their families. The repercussions may shape the federal policies regarding gender-affirming care and rights for trans people in the United States.
