Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, quickly
announced their opposition Wednesday to President Trump’s Twitter announcement
that the U.S. military would not “accept
or allow” transgender military service members.
“Any American who meets current medical and readiness
standards should be allowed to continue serving,” McCain wrote. “There is no
reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to
leave the military — regardless of their gender identity.”
He continued: “We should all be guided by the principle that
any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards
should have the opportunity to do so — and should be treated as the patriots
they are.”
McCain chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and is
widely hailed for his service in the Vietnam War, during which he was tortured
and held captive for more than five years. He recently returned
to the Senate after being diagnosed with brain cancer.
His criticism of Trump’s policy was partly echoed by Ernst,
a 20-year military veteran who also serves on the Senate Armed Services
Committee. The panel had not been briefed on the new policy prior to
Trump’s tweet on the matter.
“She believes what is most important is making sure service
members can meet the physical training standards, and the willingness to defend
our freedoms and way of life,” Ernst’s spokesperson told the Des Moines Register. “While she believes taxpayers
shouldn’t cover the costs associated with a gender reassignment surgery,
Americans who are qualified and can meet the standards to serve in the military
should be afforded that opportunity.”
McCain further called the new policy “unclear” and said that
“major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.”
Last year, the Obama administration allowed transgender
people to serve openly. But Trump argued on Twitter that transgender people
would ratchet up military medical costs and could pose a “disruption” to
operations of the military. Transgender medical costs only make up a tiny
fraction of military health care spending.
(source: yahoo)
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