Commentary: Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Defense announced it will implement the order banning transgender service members from serving in the military effective April 12th:
“After hearing testimony from transgender service members who have served honorably and made great sacrifices for our country, it baffles me that the Department of Defense would move forward with this blatantly discriminatory policy. Any person who has volunteered to give their life for this country should be honored, respected, and thanked. Instead, thanks to yet another reckless Trump policy, these brave servicemembers will have to worry about whether their livelihood will be taken away from them and their families. This decision is a slap in the face to our troops and poses a threat to our nation’s readiness.”