The Trump administration has launched a major initiative aimed at eradicating gender-affirming medical care for minors across the United States. The actions, announced on Thursday, target federal funding and regulatory oversight in what officials term a bid to protect children.
New Rules Target Medicaid and Medicare Funding
At the heart of the effort is a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This rule would bar hospitals from providing puberty blockers, hormone treatments, or surgical procedures to minors if they wish to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programmes.
The proposal explicitly prohibits Medicaid funds from being used to cover this type of care. Given that Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) collectively cover close to half of all children in America, the potential impact is vast.
US Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, framed the move as a direct response to President Trump's call to action. "Under my leadership, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk," Kennedy stated. "This administration will protect America's most vulnerable."
FDA Warnings and Disability Status Reversal
Concurrent with the funding restrictions, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced further measures. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will issue warnings to twelve companies that manufacture or sell breast binders intended for minors experiencing gender dysphoria.
The department accuses these firms of engaging in illegal marketing practices. Gender dysphoria describes the distress a person may feel when their gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth.
In a significant policy shift, HHS is also moving to reverse a Biden-era rule that classified gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law. A newly proposed update to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 would specify that "disability" does not include gender dysphoria unless it originates from a physical impairment.
Part of a Broader Legislative and Executive Push
These proposals represent the latest in a series of concerted actions by the Trump administration to restrict access to transgender healthcare for both young people and adults. In the early weeks of his second term, President Trump signed executive orders asserting the existence of only two sexes and blocking federal funds from hospitals providing transition-related care to minors.
The administration's stance is informed by an HHS review released in May, which concluded that evidence supporting the effects of gender-affirming care for minors "is very low". This position starkly contradicts the consensus of most major US medical organisations, which support access to such care and have criticised restrictions.
The political momentum extends to Capitol Hill. On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives passed a bill, introduced by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, that seeks to criminalise parents and healthcare providers who facilitate gender-affirming care for under-18s.
Taken together, these actions signal a profound and coordinated effort to reshape the landscape of transgender healthcare in the United States, setting the stage for significant legal and political battles in the months ahead.
