HHS moves to slash funding and access to care for transgender minors
The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services announced December 18, 2025, that it will move to eliminate federal funding for transgender healthcare for minors nationwide, targeting puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical procedures. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will initiate rulemaking to prohibit hospitals from providing such care as a condition of Medicare and Medicaid participation, and will bar Medicaid funding from supporting these treatments. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. characterized transition-related care as “malpractice” that violates the Hippocratic Oath, and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz stated the administration will prevent “taxpayer money” from funding what he termed “sex-rejecting procedures.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ president, Dr. Susan Kressly, stated the HHS policies “misconstrue the current medical consensus and fail to reflect the realities of pediatric care,” warning that allowing government to determine which patient groups receive care “sets a dangerous precedent.” Dr. Kenneth Haller, a pediatrician, characterized the actions as “anti-science,” noting that identical hormone treatments remain legal when used to treat other conditions affecting hormone production, revealing the policies target transgender minors specifically rather than medical safety. The FDA will issue warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers of breast binders for minors, alleging illegal marketing for gender dysphoria treatment.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights proposed revisions to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to clarify that gender dysphoria does not constitute a disability under federal nondiscrimination law, allowing funding recipients to restrict transition-related care without violating federal civil rights protections. The proposed rules and revision will undergo 60-day and 30-day public comment periods before finalization. This action builds on prior Justice Department subpoenas targeting hospitals providing transgender youth care, which created a chilling effect across the healthcare system.
The administration’s effort follows executive orders issued in January declaring only two unchangeable sexes exist and barring federal funding to hospitals offering transition-related care to minors. In July, federal investigations prompted over 20 hospitals in cities including Los Angeles and Boston to roll back or eliminate gender-affirming programs. Families with transgender children, including the Gonzales family of Texas, have relocated outside the United States to access care, with Rachel Gonzales stating they became “political targets” despite the consensus of their physicians. An estimated 724,000 youth ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender; research shows fewer than 0.1% of adolescents with private insurance receive puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
On December 17, the House passed legislation introduced by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene that would charge doctors with felony charges punishable by up to 10 years in prison for providing gender-affirming care to minors—the harshest federal penalty ever enacted by the chamber. Representative Dan Crenshaw introduced a companion bill, expected for a House vote, to prohibit Medicaid coverage of transition procedures for anyone under 18. The Senate is expected to block both measures.
