But I think this pretty much sums it up:
Arizona senator John McCain, who chairs the Senate armed services committee, said: “The president’s tweet this morning is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.”
He added: “Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military – regardless of their gender identity.”
View original postI'm having a difficult time grasping the level of outrage from the Washington Post and various and sundry other leftist sources over the announcement released this morning. My impression is that it is targeted at new recruits enlisting in the Armed Forces. The overwhelming majority of new enlistees are in the 18-21 year old age bracket. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I suspect very few 18 or 19 year old transgender folks have already completed their transition. Is it somehow reactionary and bigoted to suggest that the focus of such a person would not be on their basic training and subsequent readiness to go into combat, if needed? That their desire to resolve the paramount issue in their lives might transcend their military obligations? That just maybe some, not all, are motivated to enlist by the possibility of Uncle Sam covering the tab? Before anyone says, so what, one doesn't enlist in the military to get free medical coverage for a pre-existing condition that could possibly prevent said person from combat readiness until resolved. Rather, such conditions usually result in failing to qualify.
I haven't done more than two minutes of research, but Trump's literal statement does say “After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US military.” That doesn't sound like leaving the people already in the military alone. Though true that the numbers are negligible and it would be a stretch to claim that their dismissal would have a serious impact on a national level.