HRC Article:
WASHINGTON — Last night, President Biden signed the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which includes a provision inserted by Speaker Mike Johnson blocking healthcare for the transgender children of military servicemembers. This provision, the first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law enacted since the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, will rip medically necessary care from the transgender children of thousands of military families – families who make incredible sacrifices in defense of the country each and every day. The last anti-LGBTQ+ federal law that explicitly targeted military servicemembers was Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which went into effect in 1994.
Biden’s press release:
No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and their call to serve our Nation.
Stupidity and cowardice. He’s a lame duck; he could’ve gone down swinging and let the next administration take the heat for this. But no, he had to show his true colors.
I think he signed this one because the threat of what is coming is much worse. But I do agree, I wish Biden were a better man than he is.
It really is a shame. His administration did a lot of good stuff and ultimately it’s going to be completely overshadowed by his inaction on a few really important issues.
I don’t know if he could’ve prevented the coming disaster, but he sure as fuck could’ve put us in a better position to weather the storm, and he absolutely did not.
Could he have? Even if he takes drastic action (as an official act, of course), it’s not guaranteed things will turn out better.
But at least he’d have tried… history remembers that too.
The number of times the Democrats have said “We couldn’t have won that vote, so we didn’t push the issue” and I’m like, that’s how you change the conversation! You get Congressional candidates on record as opposing this thing that would have helped. You don’t avoid the issue because you’ll lose.
I think the public seeing someone with power actually willing to lead would be a lot more valuable than we think.
I think he signed this one because the threat of what is coming is much worse
I think he signed it because he hates all trans people. After a whole-assed year of supplying a genocide, he gets no benefit of the doubt.
That’s possible. Dude is ancient, and has often been on the wrong side of history. Who knows what he actually believes.
Stupidity and cowardice.
The defining characteristics of the Biden administration and the centrist wing of the Democratic party.
The next administration wants the government to shut down and grind to a halt. This is all Biden can do to slow the bleeding.
Am I allowed to say that I don’t agree with there being a trans children. And so is the majority of america
Do you mean you wouldn’t allow children to transition? Because there will technically always be trans children.
The difference is whether or not they get nigh irreversible changes by going through puberty and slowly watch their bodies warp into something they’re not, or don’t.
Centrist, or Republican?
Me? I’m on the left on 99% of the issues.
Biden isn’t the worst president ever, but he’s a piece of shit. He was entirely not up to the task of our time, and that was obvious in 2020. His presidency had more to do with fulfilling an old man’s lifelong desire to sit in the big seat, rather than meet the needs of the citizenry. It was basically a make-a-wish project for establishment Democrats who desire gentlemanly order and aggrandizement more than any meaningful policy goals. This was a group project, and all of the self-interested facilitators that covered up his senility (going back before the 2020 race), are directly culpable in the emerging feudal reign that Republicans are orchestrating, as well as the unjust murders of hundreds of thousands of innocents in Gaza. I started his administration feeling weary but cautiously hopeful that we may have averted calamity. I end his administration having lost confidence in not only our government, but of our people. I could not have more contempt for the entire American project and all the hollow sentiments that cloak the inhumanity of it. Biden is such a clown.
Further cementing both parties as part and parcel to the problems in America.
One wrecks shop, the other apologizes and “hopes” they don’t wreck it more, really really with sugar on top, BLM, 💜💜
I’m not sure what I’m insulted by more, the fascists or the pandering corporate Democrat liars pretending we’re all best friends.
Neither speak for our country. We, the workers, the toilers, the sticks that churn this economy should be the ones speaking for it, not these thieves and grifters.
We need bernie to make this new party
Bernie doesn’t have a ton of tread on his tires.
I like AOC, but I get that half of the country would never vote for her because sassy woman minority, etc.
Now, there is one guy who would never do it, but could get elected in a heartbeat, and would be a firebrand, like Bernie and would likely turn us around.
Jon Stewart.
A big part of the issue is they need 60 votes on budgets, constitutional amendments, court decision reversals, and removal from court/congress/presidency.
So either you have bipartisanship between moderates and literally satan to cover 99.9% of troops families, or you have the entire government collapse leaving every single troops family without coverage.
The only way out is to give the progressive party 60 votes, but every election cycle we stray further away from that.
Although there is also a way for 34 states to come together and force a constitutional change, but idk if that has ever once happened in all of US History?
Don’t like it, vote Dem to keep right wing movements out of DC
If it’s the only option.
But it’s kinda like the Mcgriddle. I don’t even want to be at McDonalds. I’m just taking the best they’ve got.
That’s life, the only way to push the country left, is to keep electing people who can be pushed left. Obama/Biden were against gay marriage in 2008, they legalized it in 2015.
Always do, but the difficult part about winning is getting other people to vote Dem. Even this comment section is highly hostile to the idea despite being filled with people actively being harmed by republicans.
I guess if there was any doubt before, it’s gone now. Neither party is suitable. Time to really vote progressive. We need a new party that isn’t deeply entrenched with whatever made hime sign that.
Agreed, and what we really need is to actually end the duopoly by changing the voting system to a more fairly representative one like ranked-choice or rated, in the first place. Voting third party will just increase the chance of Republicans winning if that third party is left-leaning, and no third party will get a majority vote if you can’t convince the vast majority of Americans to completely change their entire understanding of political parties that they’ve held on to for the past decades.
Just my opinion here, but the primary thing we should focus on is changing voting systems, because that’s what will actually allow us to have a third party be successful in the first place.
How exactly do we focus on changing voting systems? Obviously vote for Democrats who support giving power to the people. What if they don’t?
It works best when you start at more local levels.
Many states already require ranked-choice voting, and that makes it easier to get progressive candidates in positions like senator, as well as non-federal state positions. Smaller state elections are much easier to change than the entirety of federal elections, and are often influenced by door knocking campaigns, various charitable organizations, and community organizing.
Hell, this can even be done at the city level. The smaller the elections get, the easier it is to change them. But the more progressive smaller elections get, the easier it is to progressively impact other systems, and then get people in federal positions of power that are open to the idea.
For now, we’re effectively just stuck with what the Democrats are up for if we want any chance at actually having a better voting systems, but working up from local levels can be a very effective way to slowly push the changes on a federal level.
Voting systems are extremely hard to change in most states. But progressive candidates usually support voting changes too. So two birds with one stone. It will be a painful few cycles with the Republicans winning. But they have shown they will turn on each other rather fast. And once we show we just aren’t going to vote democrat or republican, momentum will build. Things can’t get much worse.
Time to do more than voting, comrade. The rule makers will never allow real change within the rules that they create.
Reps took down Roe. Do you count that as “real change”?
Edit: hm. No answer but downvotes.
Out of curiosity if I made you choose between:
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0% of military troops’ families getting salaries and healthcare
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100% of military troops’ families getting salaries and healthcare with the sole exception of trans care
What would you choose?
Although, honestly, since we’re in hypotheticals and foresight, Biden could have let them go without pay and possibly triggered a Bonus Army type scenario where the military protests.
I expect the party that ran on protecting trans kids to take a stand. But I am done supporting the democrats now.
So you choose 0%, wow thats sick anon.
Anything else is just the illusion of choice. They control the options. So they can always come up with something worse to set next to the option it wants. The only influence you have as a chooser is to call thier bluff. If you don’t you might as well just let have whatever they want.
In this case, I hate to ask more of our service members. But I know I can count on them to fight back. Choosing zero is calling them to service once more to protect the freedom of our nation. Specifically thier freedom to use the benefit they were promised when they enlisted. And I have faith that they will rise to the occasion.
They literally didn’t choose the 0% yet you claim the thing they did actually choose is an illusion?
Now you’re getting it.
Got it, you think yes is no and up is down, lmao
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God when will people stop falling for this crap, this is exactly the culture war repubs are waging. Half of them don’t even give a crap about shitting on LGBTQ+, what they care about is shitting on the Dems so R’s can stay in power. They put the poison pill in a bill that Biden has no choice but to sign, JUST TO GET HEADLINES LIKE THIS, so that progressives will blame Biden and the democrats instead of the magats. And you fall for it every time. Sure, sometimes you also blame the R’s for actually doing the bad things, but you always blame democrats when they aren’t able to stop R’s from doing the bad things. You all might hate the military but we kind of need one and if we just shut it down we’re leaving ourselves vulnerable. What you are doing by blaming Biden for this is like saying yeah what the rapist did was wrong but she didn’t fight him off hard enough, she must have wanted it. smh
They put the poison pill in a bill that Biden has no choice but to sign
He could have refused to sign. But that might have violated one of the precious norms that Democrats care more about than trans people.
Tell us you have no idea how the government works without telling us you have no idea how the government works.
Centrists pull out the “you don’t know how government works” gaslighting whenever someone calls them out and they have no actual rebuttal.
Concession accepted.
It’s called facing reality and dealing with it, which isn’t nearly as much fun as mindlessly bashing oversimplified interpretations of click-bait headlines. Sure, it’s nice to play the game online where you pick one issue and ignore all the other issues no matter how important they are, but in the real world you have to do the best you can do. The consequences of vetoing the bill would be huge, while one of the articles posted elsewhere in the comments here[1] talks about the number of children who could be affected and that there are very few circumstances where the provision in the bill would have an impact (e.g. it only disallows treatments that would result in sterilization, which doesn’t include puberty blockers, etc.). But you’re obviously not interested in seriously considering the details and practicalities of the real world situation, just enjoying railing against Biden, so have fun with that.
[1] edit to repost that link: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/12/senate-passes-military-bill-with-provision-restricting-trans-healthcare/
The copium is strong in this one.
I already accepted your concession. You got what you wanted out of this bill. It’s a shame they had to fund the military too, huh?
Removed by mod
I’m lost. He spoke against it, but signed it anyway. Did they give any rationalization for signing it?
Paraphrasing here, but “we need to spend money on the military otherwise we won’t be safe”
Except that doesn’t really hold up since they could have sent it back to be modified and voted on again anyways.
No, not enough time to send it back and the R’s knew exactly what they were doing here.
Democrats are willing to go into a government shutdown rather than cave. Biden should have fought harder.
Actually, Biden signed the congressional budget 5 days ago averting Shutdown. Democrats don’t want shutdown, Republicans do.
“if we need to do it, you can fuck off with this shit and do it right” should have been the official explanation of a veto.
If he didn’t sign it then families would have just gone without coverage and the military would be unfunded until Trump entered office and signed it regardless. In fact, handing it off to the next congress could result in an even worse bill.
What a stupid play. He doesn’t benefit from this and it will now be used as a wedge issue by both Parties to rile up their base. Ignorant shortsighted policy. He’s only encouraging division.
I swear Biden is doing absolutely everything in his power to make his administration and the Democrats look as feckless and duplicitous as possible. All this bluster about saving democracy leading up to the election and he hasn’t lifted a finger to protect it since November 6th, but he sure does jump at the chance to abuse his pardon power and sign laws with bonafide conservative horseshit like this in it.
This country is an absolute joke. If this is what we were hoping would stop the tide of fascist ideology, then we’re doomed to suffer at the hands of spineless politicians who think compromise with the uncompromising is a winning strategy.
smell that bipartisanship.
Well as long as the soldiers get their Christmas bonuses, I suppose a few thousand dead children is an acceptable price to pay. We wouldn’t want the soldiers to have their Christmas ruined, and it’s not like it would be the Republicans’ fault for politicizing a must-pass spending bill. Oh well, it’s not like trans kids are really human, a 9/11 worth of child corpses is fine. We wouldn’t want to ruin Christmas.
It doesn’t cover their hormone replacement and other trans care, but it still covers all their sickness and injuries.
Well as long as the soldiers get their Christmas bonuses, I suppose a few thousand dead children is an acceptable price to pay.
As though Democrats wouldn’t have voted for the anti-trans provision as a standalone bill.
Here is the full context of the bill for those interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2025
Here is LGBT Nations’ take: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/12/senate-passes-military-bill-with-provision-restricting-trans-healthcare/?
Here is LGBT Nations’ take: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/12/senate-passes-military-bill-with-provision-restricting-trans-healthcare/?
That was the most informative take I’ve seen.
I will never hold my nose to vote democratic ever again. Plus it wouldn’t help, your stench permeates throughout the entire country.
Your time in the sun is over blue conservatives. The same could be said for the country that was in your stewardship.
We trusted you to defeat literal clowns and not only were you incapable, you joined the circus.
You are not to be trusted ever again.
Title is quite disingenuous. Doesn’t match content.
Apologies if it seems disingenuous, but if I’d copied the entire original title, it would have been about 30% longer, and it’s already relatively lengthy to begin with.
I did my best to ensure the title of my post matched the relevant content and context of the article and respective event.
We don’t allow editorialized headlines, but I’ll give you a chance to revert it before removing it.
“President Biden Signs Defense Bill Blocking Health Care For Trans Military Children, First Anti-LGBTQ+ Federal Law Enacted Since ‘Defense of Marriage Act’”
Reverted.
Thank you!
You love to see it; when liberals take their masks off. People ripped me up for bringing up Biden’s past racism and bigotry and intolerance.
Hope you’re happy, America. You’re all a bunch of fucking losers.
