The Trump administration's push to ban transgender individuals from military service is contradicted by a lack of concrete data on their numbers, as the Department of Defense does not track service members by gender identity. Government lawyers acknowledged reliance on outdated estimates from a 2016 RAND study, revealing the administration's justifications for the ban lack evidential support. The claim that gender-affirming treatments burden military resources is undermined by the relatively small expenditure in context of the overall budget, highlighting inconsistencies in the administration's rationale.
The Department of Defense does not track service members or applicants by gender identity and has no means of searching for the requested information.
The justification for the ban has been riddled with unsubstantiated claims, arguing that trans troops pose a threat to unit cohesion.
The Pentagon spent just $52 million over nearly a decade—a small fraction of the military's $918.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2024 alone.
Trump's executive order claimed gender-affirming care was a drain on resources and 'incompatible' with military service, despite the actual costs.
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