A4TE Responds to Trump Proposed Rules to Restrict Access to Transition-Related Care for Trans Youth

[Washington, D.C.] – Today, the Trump Administration released three proposed rules that would severely restrict access to transition-related care for transgender youth.

In addition to two notices of proposed rulemaking from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services seeking to reverse nondiscrimination protections for gender dysphoria under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 implemented by the Biden administration, Trump’s FDA also announced it is issuing warning letters to manufacturers and retailers of chest binders, claiming their marketing for these items violates federal law regarding the marketing of medical devices.  

Fiadh McKenna, A4TE Senior Staff Attorney, released the following statement:

"The proposed rule prohibiting the use of federal funds for transition-related health care for trans youth is an openly discriminatory attack without any credible medical or financial basis. Coupled with the proposed rule that would prohibit any hospital that participates in Medicaid and Medicare from providing transition-related healthcare to trans youth, these sets of rules mark a serious escalation in this administration's ongoing efforts to dismantle health care programs and services for trans youth.

“A4TE urges CMS to rescind these proposed rules and ensure that patients and providers can make private medical decisions, without interference. Transition-related health care is essential and medically-necessary healthcare that has been widely accepted by leading medical organizations for decades. Targeting health care for trans people is unlawful and discriminatory; no one should be denied health care because of who they are. 

“The proposed CMS rules are harmful and discriminatory policies that would severely restrict access to this medically necessary care—or in some cases make this care completely inaccessible. The grave consequences of the ongoing attacks on transition-related health care for youth are real; patients are already facing clinic closures and delayed care.

“The Trump administration and rightwing extremists in Congress have already made cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits that will hurt millions in this country. All people deserve equal access to essential health care, regardless of their gender or income. We already know the devastating impact that restricted access to reproductive health care has had, especially in rural areas. This patchwork approach to health care access creates inequality and undermines public trust in health systems.
 
“These proposed rules fully contradict why Medicaid exists in the first place, which is to increase access to healthcare for poor and working-class people. Instead, these proposed rules would limit access to medically-necessary and evidence-based health care, inflicting severe psychological suffering on tens of thousands of young trans people and their families. Good public health policy should focus on expanding access and reducing costs for all patients, not issuing discriminatory and basis regulations that restrict health care access at a time where people across the country struggle with rising health care costs.” 

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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.

Media Contact

A. Lazaurs Orr, [email protected]