A4TE Condemns House Budget Cuts as Cruel Attack on Trans Lives and Lifesaving Healthcare

[Washington, D.C.] -  Early Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a proposed budget that includes sweeping cuts to Medicaid and restrictions on Affordable Care Act Essential Health Benefits (EHB), specifically targeting coverage for transition-related healthcare. In response, Sinead Murano-Kinney, Health Policy Analyst at Advocates for Trans Equality, issued the following statement: 
 
“This budget proposal is a direct, calculated attack on the lives and dignity of people across the country. The cuts to Medicaid and EHBs will have devastating consequences not only for trans people, but for the many rural communities, low-income families, disabled people, and people of color who rely on these programs for basic healthcare needs. These cuts clearly aim to make trans people and their healthcare into political scapegoats, to be blamed for the economic hardships facing people across the U.S. Let us be clear: this proposal would strip lifesaving care from people who depend on Medicaid – a population already vulnerable to systemic discrimination and economic instability. 

“The version of the budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives includes numerous cuts to Medicaid that will jeopardize the health and wellbeing of people across the country. Among them are provisions that prohibit the coverage of medically necessary and evidence-based transition-related healthcare for trans people of all ages and exclusion of transition-related healthcare for trans people of all ages as an Essential Health Benefit (EHB) under state marketplace plans.  

“In 2022 the Williams Institute reported that of the estimated 1.3 million transgender adults in the U.S, approximately 276,000 were enrolled in Medicaid. This means approximately 21% of trans adults rely on Medicaid coverage, likely as a result of significant economic and employment barriers. Denying access to this care would not only worsen physical and mental health outcomes but would deepen housing insecurity, exacerbate mental health crises, and increase rates of depression and suicidality among trans people. 

“This is no accident - it is part of a broader political agenda driven by anti-trans extremists determined to force trans, nonbinary, and intersex people out of public life. It is a calculated strategy: fueling fear, blaming marginalized communities, and distracting the public from the real causes of economic hardship: corporate greed, failing infrastructure, and chronic underinvestment in public services. Instead of offering real solutions, this budget trades compassion for cruelty and policy for political theater. 

“Healthcare is a human right. Just like everyone else, trans people deserve the freedom to access medically necessary care without politicians interfering. We urge the Senate to reject this hateful provision and vote “no” on any budget that includes bans on transition-related healthcare people of any age. Lawmakers must decide whether they will defend the principles of dignity, science, and basic human rights - or allow fringe, discriminatory ideology to jeopardize the safety and well-being of tens of thousands of trans lives, as well as the lives of so many others. 

“This version of the proposed budget is heartbreaking. If it is allowed to pass, all members of Congress who did not exhaust every opportunity to oppose this bill’s passage will have blood on their hands. That is why we are calling on all members of the Senate to VOTE NO on any version of the budget that excludes coverage from transition-related healthcare. We will not be erased, and we will never stop fighting for a future where every person can access the care they need to survive and thrive.” 

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About A4TE 

Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) is an organization that fights for the legal and political rights of transgender people in the United States. Introduced in July 2024 after the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and the National Center for Transgender Equality merged, A4TE is the largest trans-led advocacy organization in the U.S. and brings together experts, advocates, and communities to shift government and society toward an equitable future where trans people live joyful lives without barriers.