GOP Lawmakers Probing If Ideology Is Driving HHS Advocacy for Transgender Treatments

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House on Aug. 3, 2022. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

A group of Republican lawmakers is demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provide evidence to justify the administration’s support of what they describe as dangerous transgender medical procedures for minors.

“We are increasingly alarmed that HHS’ advocacy has led health professionals to prescribe dangerous and experimental drugs and surgeries to troubled children,” reads a March 29 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra signed by Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) and 13 of his Republican colleagues.

The letter raising concerns over HHS’s support of the “life-altering” procedures—and the use of tax dollars to fund them—contrasts sharply with President Joe Biden’s support for “gender-affirming care.”

Shortly after his 2021 inauguration, Biden nominated as assistant secretary for health the openly transgender Adm. Rachel Levine.

Without mentioning Levine, Risch and his colleagues in both houses of Congress said they want assurance that the procedures are evidence-based and “not ideologically motivated.”

The lawmakers are asking HHS to answer seven questions within a month as they seek to ensure that the agency upholds “the moral responsibility it owes to parents and kids.”

Their questions probe HHS’s justification for interventions that can cause “permanent damage,” such as infertility, blood disorders, and bone deterioration.

Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) poses in an undated photo near the U.S. Capitol. Courtesy of Sen. James Risch

‘Red’ States Versus ‘Blue’ Ones

Citing such harms, many Republican or “red” states across the country have passed or proposed bills that would curtail or ban the procedures for minors. “Blue,” or Democrat-dominant states, have either largely ignored the issue or taken steps to guarantee “access” to the procedures.

In January, California, a state known for far-left politics, became the nation’s first “sanctuary” state for transgender youth seeking “gender-affirming medical care.”

Supporters of these interventions call them “life-saving,” asserting that youths with gender dysphoria may be suicidal over their perceived gender mismatch with their bodies. But opponents say there are no reliable studies that prove a long-term improvement in the mental health of such youths. They cite a 30-year Swedish study showing that transsexual adults had higher rates of depression and death from all causes, including suicide.

On March 30, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to a reporter’s question about Kentucky becoming the latest state to outlaw gender-altering hormones and surgeries for minors.

Jean-Pierre said this is the latest example of a “hateful” bill passed just before the Transgender Day of Visibility, “a day that we should be lifting up our trans kids, our trans youth, and making sure that they feel seen” and that these measures “attack” transgender youth and their parents.

“It is shameful. And it is unacceptable,” she said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks in Washington on Oct. 24, 2022. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In Biden’s proclamation on the Transgender Day of Visibility, he said, “Transgender Americans shape our Nation’s soul—proudly serving in the military, curing deadly diseases, holding elected office ... and much more.”

He decried “a wave of discriminatory State laws,” saying the measures are “targeting transgender youth, terrifying families and hurting kids who are not hurting anyone.”

Biden also said there’s an increasing number of attacks against transgender people—a remark that came just two days after a transgender intruder opened fire and fatally shot three children and three adults at a Nashville Christian school before police killed the shooter.

Transgender People Join Christians in Battle

Scott Newgent, a transgender person who’s female but appears male, fought for the passage of the Kentucky bill and many others like it. Newgent, whose health suffered tremendously after undergoing sex-reassignment procedures in adulthood, seeks to protect children from being taken down the same perilous path.

Gays, lesbians, and transgender people have aligned with conservative Christians and others to protect children, according to Newgent, who’s opposed by increasingly militant transgender-rights activists.

Many Democrats privately oppose “trans-ing kids,” but they won’t admit it publicly, Newgent told The Epoch Times.

Scott Newgent, who regrets transitioning from female to male, prepares to testify in support of a bill that would outlaw the procedures, at the Nebraska Statehouse, on Feb. 8, 2023. Courtesy of Scott Newgent/TreVoices.org

“Unfortunately, they won’t say anything because they are so worried about their career, just like the social media stars are,” Newgent said.

“Anyone who comes at this with an open mind” cannot support the medical transitioning of children after learning facts and dismissing “unicorn farts and glitter bombs.” That’s Newgent’s colorful shorthand for a strongly promoted fantasy: People are told that transitioning will solve all their problems.

After a temporary period of post-transition euphoria wears off, most people discover that their old issues remain—and they’re saddled with new ones, he said.

Newgent called upon Democrats to take a stand that protects children from more agony and soaring medical costs.

“If you are a Democrat and don’t come out against this because it is career suicide, you need to leave the political realm today,” Newgent said.

“You need to understand that you have influence over people, and you need to do the right thing. Regardless of whether it’s harder—especially about children.”

Emel Akan contributed to this story.