Elizabeth Warren just promised to overturn Trump’s trans military ban on her first day in office
Senator Elizabeth Warren (Joe Raedle/Getty)
US Democratic presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren has said she would overturn Donald Trump’s trans military ban on her first day in office if elected.
The candidate made the claim as part of a detailed plan that lays out how she would tackle the needs of the military as president, Politico reports.
“I’ll reverse [the trans military ban] on the first day of my presidency,” Warren says in the plan.
“The only thing that should matter when it comes to allowing military personnel to serve is whether or not they can handle the job.”
Elsewhere in the document – which is called “Keeping Our Promises to Our Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families” – Warren promises to provide all “medically necessary care” related to the health of transgender troops.
Elizabeth Warren also promised to protect military personnel from deportation.
The plan also says that military personnel, veterans and their families would be protected from deportation under her presidency. She also says that they will review cases of those who have been deported already.
Warren goes on to promise to end American involvement in overseas conflicts that are unnecessary.
“It’s not fair to our men and women in uniform to ask them to solve problems that don’t have a military solution,” she said in her plan. “A strong military should act as a deterrent so that most of the time, we won’t have to use it.”
The only thing that should matter when it comes to allowing military personnel to serve is whether or not they can handle the job.
Donald Trump’s trans military ban came into effect earlier this year almost two years after the Republican president first announced the measure.
It is thought that around 13,700 trans military personnel lost their jobs due to the new law.
Trump first announced the ban in a series of tweets on July 26, 2017.
Donald Trump’s trans military ban came into effect two years after he first announced it.
“After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US military,” he wrote.
“Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.”
The White House later formally announced its policy in March 2018 – however, it was blocked by four injunctions. These injunctions were later removed by an appeals court and the Supreme Court.
Transgender people who have not been diagnosed with gender dysphoria are allowed to serve in the military under the law – but only if they continue to present as the gender they were assigned at birth and if they have not had any surgeries.
