Trump’s attack on trans health care, briefly explained

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Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is escalating its attacks on transgender Americans and gender-affirming health care.

What happened? Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday that the federal government would take steps to block access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors, such as puberty blockers, hormones, or surgery.

Kennedy’s Health and Human Services Department is proposing two rules: One would target federal funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors by banning them from participating in Medicare and Medicaid. The second proposed rule would block federal dollars from being spent on gender-affirming care for minors.

The administration still has to go through the rulemaking process before either measure is finalized.

What’s the context? Attacks on trans Americans — both their inclusion in public life and their mere existence — have become a core feature of the second Trump administration. In a pair of January executive orders, President Donald Trump attacked “gender ideology extremism” and referred to gender-affirming care as “chemical and surgical mutilation.”

Last month, the Supreme Court also allowed the Trump administration to enforce a new passport policy requiring passports to be issued with the holder’s sex at birth.

Why does this matter? These proposed policy changes are diametrically opposed to professional medical advice on the subject. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other major medical associations all support access to gender-affirming care — which most often consists of puberty blockers and hormones, not surgery — for minors.

This week, my colleague Dylan Scott introduced me (and readers of Vox’s morning newsletter, Today, Explained) to this wonderful story: “A Grand Yuletide Theory: The Muppet Christmas Carol is the Best Adaptation of A Christmas Carol.” Now, dear readers, I’m passing it on to you, because it’s a delight. (I also highly recommend Dickens’s original A Christmas Carol, if you’re looking for seasonal activities.) Have a great evening and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!