The House and Senate have adjourned until the first week of January to spend time with their families over the holidays. Before leaving, they passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and thwarted an extension of the COVID-era Obamacare subsidies (for now). One topic in particular was the bow on the package of conservative wins this Congress. The House passed significant legislation to protect children from gender mutilation procedures, and days later the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued regulatory proposals to do the same.
Last week, the House voted on a pair of bills to stop genital mutilation and hormone blockers from being used on children. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was given the green light for a floor vote on her bill, the Protect Children’s Innocence Act (H.R. 3492), after agreeing to vote for the NDAA. The bill would make “gender transition” procedures a federal crime. Medical professionals could face up to 10 years of prison and/or significant fines for performing these mutilating and experimental practices.
“Detransitioners” live with regret and irreversible physical deformities after undergoing ‘sex-rejecting’ treatments. Parents of these children are often bullied into moving forward with surgeries and hormone blockers without being shown the studies proving that children often grow out of this phase. Rep. Greene stated:
Protecting children is not optional, it’s our duty. Children are not old enough to vote, drive, or get a tattoo and they are certainly not old enough to be chemically castrated or permanently mutilated. This is common sense. This is good versus evil.
The Protect Children’s Innocence Act passed the House 216-211 with 3 Democrats voting in favor and 4 Republicans opposing.
The next day, the House proceeded to vote on Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s (R-TX) bill, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act (H.R. 498). This bill would prohibit federal dollars in the Medicaid program from paying for “gender transition” procedures on minors. This language was included in the One Big, Beautiful Bill, but passing this without the 10-year time limit of the OBBB would make the policy permanent. The bill passed 215-201 with 4 Democrats voting in favor.
The Trump administration has worked tirelessly to stop the mutilation of children through both executive orders and regulatory actions. One the first executive orders signed by the President directed HHS to “take all appropriate actions to end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.” Last week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced 6 proposed rules tackling this issue. This includes barring federal funding through Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Any hospitals that participate in these programs would no longer be able to perform these procedures or lose their funding if they do. Additionally, Secretary Kennedy signed a declaration stating that these types of procedures do not meet the standard of professional medicine and that any doctor who performs them would be in violation of the guidelines. At an HHS press conference, he stated:
They [doctors who participate in sex-rejecting treatments] betrayed their Hippocratic Oath to do no harm. So-called gender-affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people. This is not medicine. It is malpractice. We're done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not the well-being of children.
We applaud the actions of Congress and the Trump administration for working in tandem to eradicate these horrendous practices. Children are the most vulnerable among us and must be protected. If we are to value life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we must ensure that future generations can thrive.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of our grassroots activists across the nation, we have seen the fruits of our labor in the passage of significant legislation in Congress and the necessary actions taken by the Trump administration. We will outline the many wins in the new year. In the meantime, we ask that you consider an end-of-year contribution to Eagle Forum and to Eagle Forum PAC to keep the momentum going in 2026. May you enjoy rest and happiness through the holidays!
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