The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the annual defense policy bill on Wednesday, despite late Democratic opposition to a provision banning military health insurance coverage for transgender care for service members’ children. The historically bipartisan package passed 241-180, with 81 Democrats voting in favor and 16 Republicans voting against. The bill now proceeds to the Senate. Congress has approved this essential legislation for 63 consecutive years, but President Biden has yet to comment on whether he will sign it into law.
The $884.9 billion bill includes a 4.5% pay raise for all troops, a 10% increase for junior enlisted personnel (private to corporal), and improvements to military housing and childcare. Importantly, it’s a policy bill, not a funding bill. It sets the Defense Department’s goals for the fiscal year; separate appropriation bills will determine actual spending.
Opposition from key Democrats, including Rep. Adam Smith, the House Armed Services Committee’s top Democrat, stemmed from the controversial provision restricting transgender care. Smith stated that while the bill had positive aspects, this provision risked harming thousands of children by denying healthcare and forcing service members to choose between their careers and their children’s well-being. All Democrats present for a prior procedural vote opposed the final bill.
The four-line provision in the 1,800-page bill prohibits TRICARE coverage for “medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization.” While the bill doesn’t specify which treatments are banned, gender dysphoria treatment can include mental health services, hormone therapy, and surgery. Rep. Smith denounced the provision as based on “ignorant, bigoted reasons” against the transgender community. Even House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers expressed surprise, stating Speaker Johnson hadn’t consulted him before including it.
Speaker Johnson, however, defended the provision alongside others that freeze hiring for diversity, equity, and inclusion positions and restrict federal funding for certain race relations education within the Department of Defense. Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign, criticized the bill, arguing that military members and their families were used as “bargaining chips.” She emphasized the families’ sacrifices and their right to access necessary healthcare for their children.
Another contentious provision would transfer certain Air National Guard functions and personnel to Space Force without state governor approval. This move, opposed by the National Guard Association of the United States, could affect approximately 1,000 space professionals across seven states. Retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn called it an “existential threat” to state authority. An amendment to remove this provision failed in the House Rules Committee.
The bill also contains measures to address traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in service members resulting from repeated exposure to blast pressure waves. It mandates the creation of a Defense Intrepid Network for TBI and Brain Health by January 1, 2026, safety thresholds for blast exposure by early 2027, and policies to encourage treatment without fear of retaliation. The Department of Defense will be required to report to Congress on these initiatives and the number of service members seeking treatment. These provisions were supported by bipartisan figures including Sens. Joni Ernst and Elizabeth Warren, and Rep. Ro Khanna. The contrast to President-elect Trump’s past dismissal of such injuries as mere “headaches” is notable.