WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined 19 of their colleagues in introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2025 to remove language that would strip away servicemembers’ parental rights to access medically necessary health care for their transgender children. The U.S. House of Representatives-passed NDAA includes language that bans health care for transgender kids and TRICARE patients under the age of 18.

“Parents – not politicians – are the only people who should be making health care decisions for their children. This amendment would ensure military families have the same rights as every other family to make sure their kids get the care they need. It is unbelievable that in pushing their hateful, anti-LGBTQ agenda, House Republicans want to punish parents serving our country,” said Murphy.

“I have supported and worked hard on the NDAA and its many provisions to enhance and protect our national security as well as Connecticut’s defense industrial base. I have opposed limits on healthcare for families of military personnel. I support this amendment to protect rights of service members and their families to make their own healthcare decisions,” said Blumenthal.

Every major medical and mental health association in the U.S., representing more than 1.3 million U.S. doctors, supports access to this medically necessary, evidence-based health care for transgender people.

If the House-passed NDAA becomes law, it is estimated that 6,000 – 7,000 transgender children of servicemembers would not be able to access the health care that their parents had approved. 

The amendment to the FY2025 NDAA would strike Sec. 708 of the House-passed NDAA, which would ban TRICARE from offering medically sound health care for our youngest transgender servicemembers and to transgender military children under 18.

The amendment, led by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), is also co-sponsored by Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).

A full version of the amendment is available here.

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