Democratic States Sue Trump Administration Over Order to Halt Funding for Gender-Affirming Care
Source: US News and World Report/AP
Feb. 7, 2025, at 1:38 p.m.
Three Democratic states sued the Trump administration on Friday over its order to ban federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under 19. Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown filed the federal lawsuit in the Western District of Washington. The attorneys general of Oregon and Minnesota, and three doctors, also joined as plaintiffs.
The complaint argues that the order discriminates against transgender people. Trump signed an executive order last month directing federally run insurance programs, including Medicaid and TRICARE for military families, to exclude coverage for such care.
It also calls on the Department of Justice to pursue litigation and legislation to oppose it. Medicaid programs in some states cover gender-affirming care. The new order suggests that the practice could end, and targets hospitals and universities that receive federal money and provide the care.
“That order poses an immediate threat to young people all across Washington state, and to the medical professionals in Washington who provide much-needed health care,” Brown said at a news conference in Seattle. The complaint argues that the order violates equal rights protections, the separation of powers and states' powers to regulate what is not specifically delegated to the federal government.
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2025-02-07/democratic-states-sue-trump-administration-over-order-to-halt-gender-affirming-care