Four House Democrats joined Republicans to pass a bill that would cut federal Medicaid funding for sex reassignment surgeries and medications for minors on Thursday.
It was sponsored by Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw invoice“Do No Harm for Medicaid,” along with Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The legislation, if passed by the Senate, would amend the Social Security Act to stop federal Medicaid payments to states for “sex-specific procedures” — including surgical prohibitions and pharmaceutical restrictions — performed on individuals under 18 years of age.
The House approved the bill Thursday by a vote of 215-201, with four Democrats joining the unified GOP: Texas Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, North Carolina Rep. Don Davis, and Washington Rep. Mary Glusenkamp Perez.
The House passed a similar bill a day earlier, which Greene also sponsored and targeted gender reassignment procedures.
Thursday’s legislation saw slightly broader support than Wednesday’s measure, with five lawmakers voting against Wednesday’s bill but in favor of one that specifically addresses Medicaid dollars: Gluesenkamp Perez, as well as Republican Reps. Gabe Evans of Colorado, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Kennedy of Utah, and Mike Lawler of New York. (Related to: Four Republicans vote against ban on sex reassignment of children
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 26: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill on June 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Republicans are trying to hold Attorney General Derek Garland in contempt of Congress after he advised President Biden to assert executive privilege over audio and video recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hoare. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Crenshaw argued on the House floor Thursday that his bill would cut federal funding for surgeries and puberty blockers, among other treatments, which he said are ineffective in reducing suicide among minors affected by “gender dysphoria.”
“The cardinal sin in medicine today is perhaps one of the worst sins we have ever seen in human history: the sick and twisted ideology associated with social media fuels a social contagion that has in effect imprinted the ultimate lie, which is that biological sex does not matter and can even be changed,” Crenshaw said. “Irreversibly treating children who need treatment is wrong… Your constituents know that children are too young to understand the consequences of permanent physiological changes… You can rest assured that they certainly do not want their tax dollars paying for this.”
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone referred to sex changes in children as “medically necessary health care” when he argued against Crenshaw and Greene’s bill on the House floor Thursday.
“[The bill] It is a severe attack on medically necessary health care for children. “The bill prohibits Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for minors and strips states of further Medicaid funding if they choose to cover this medically necessary care with their own state dollars,” Pallone said. (Related to: Bishops ban sex change in US Catholic hospitals
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 11: Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) speaks during the “Protect Health Care, Lower Costs” press conference on Capitol Hill on September 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Countess Jamal/Getty Images for the Economic Security Project)
The issue of sex changes in children has been the focus of President Donald Trump’s attention during his second term. On January 28, Trump signed a document Executive order Titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday Suggested New regulations on the issue are in response to the January order.
“Under my leadership, and in response to President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe and irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” HHS Secretary Kennedy Jr. said in a press release Thursday. “This administration will protect America’s most vulnerable. Our children deserve better, and we are keeping that promise.”
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