"The deadline to pass appropriations bills and avert a shutdown is closing in, and this year both parties are digging in. At issue is Trump's insistence on keeping the power to withhold congressionally appropriated funds - a cudgel he's wielded against ideological opponents. Democrats are pressing to protect healthcare subsidies. But the most explosive fight now centers on anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans riders woven into the appropriations bills."
"On Tuesday morning, Trump took to Truth Social with a rambling post announcing he would refuse to negotiate unless Democrats "agree to the principles in this letter." Those "principles" included a slate of anti-trans measures - from bans on transgender healthcare to nationwide sports restrictions. By digging in, Trump has turned the shutdown fight into a test of whether Democrats will hold the line for their trans and queer constituents."
"Though Trump frames the fight around "transgender surgeries" and sports, the provisions buried in the appropriations bills go far beyond that - and could devastate transgender people nationwide. In the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill, one rider would ban "any federal funds" from supporting gender-affirming care at any age, even extending to "behavioral" or "social" care. A strict reading would immediately strip Medicaid and Medicare coverage for transgender people."
Appropriations negotiations are nearing a deadline as parties clash over the president's demand to retain authority to withhold congressionally appropriated funds. Anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans riders are embedded in multiple appropriations bills, including bans on any federal funds for gender-affirming care and restrictions on transgender participation in sports. One rider would bar federal funds for gender-affirming care at any age and could extend to behavioral and social care, risking Medicaid and Medicare coverage and threatening hospitals with loss of federal funding. The standoff has led to canceled negotiations and places pressure on Democrats to defend healthcare subsidies and transgender constituents.
Read at Truthout
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