President Donald Trump has signed a memo that officially bans transgender recruits from the military and gives the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security the authority to remove people identifying as transgender from the military. The directive also prohibits the use of funds to pay for medical care related to a member of the military undergoing gender reassignment, unless the process has already begun.
NEWS: Per WH official, Trump signed exec memo giving DOD/ DHS formal authority to expel transgender people from the military earlier today
— Jackie Alemany (@JaxAlemany) August 25, 2017
Trump stated that the transgender ban, which was in place until June of 2016, will be reinstated.
Accordingly, by the authority vested in me as President and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States under the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including Article II of the Constitution, I am directing the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the U.S. Coast Guard, to return to the longstanding policy and practice on military service by transgender individuals that was in place prior to June 2016 until such time as a sufficient basis exists upon which to conclude that terminating that policy and practice would not have the negative effects discussed above. The Secretary of Defense, after consulting with the Secretary of Homeland Security, may advise me at any time, in writing, that a change to this policy is warranted.
These changes will go into effect on March 23, 2018.