Mattis orders Pentagon to allow transgender troops to continue serving, pending study
Source: MSN
WASHINGTON Defense Secretary Jim Mattis late Tuesday announced that transgender troops will be allowed to continue serving in the military pending the results of a study by experts.
The announcement follows tweets and an order from President Trump that indicated transgender service members no longer had place in the military, effectively reversing an Obama administration policy. The order also affects the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Coast Guard.
"Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction," Mattis said in the statement. "In the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place."
Mattis' move buys time for the Pentagon to determine how and if it will allow thousands of transgender troops to continue to serve, whether they will receive medical treatment, or how they will be discharged.
Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mattis-orders-pentagon-to-allow-transgender-troops-to-continue-serving-pending-study/ar-AAqX5NJ?ocid=spartanntp
That's right...Trump's own Secretary of Defense is now defying his authority. The implications are "yuge".
marybourg
(12,540 posts)NRaleighLiberal
(59,940 posts)LonePirate
(13,386 posts)45 merely signs whatever they shove in front of him. I don't think he has a clue about 75% or more of what he has signed.
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)LonePirate
(13,386 posts)Doreen
(11,686 posts)he rounded up as many LGBTQ as possible and gas them to death. He would make it against the law to be LGBTQ and punishable by death. Trump just does not give a flying fuck.
Warpy
(110,913 posts)is not good enough for the military. Mattis is not on board with this. He knows how much it costs to train a soldier and that a lot of these people will take a long time to replace if Enema Nozzle keeps pitching a fit about it. Mattis is a smart old bastard and won't just tell him "no." However, I imagine that study will take a very long time.
DoD isn't going to make this radical (not to mention probably unconstitutional) change without serious study and lawyer work. I remain unconvinced that this will ever really happen. The study and regulatory drafting will take long enough for Trump to forget about it. In this case, a short attention span is a good thing.
Phoenix61
(16,954 posts)Can't wait for Twitler's rage tweet about this!
Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)"I Was Right To Dodge Loser Army. You're Welcome!"
If we're lucky, he'll brag about ripping off veterans.
bucolic_frolic
(42,679 posts)by any study by experts? This is crushing my brain!
Solly Mack
(90,740 posts)Mattis is NOT defying Trump - BUT - I am happy to see Mattis is taking the long view on it.
What Trump did was cowardly and horrible but Mattis is still following the directive. But what he is also doing is something positive - Mattis is allowing time in hopes he never has to implement the full measure of the directive.
I live on an army post. My husband was the Equal Opportunity Rep & Advocate and he dealt with these matters. He still has contacts in retirement.
Mattis is not defying the directive, but he is slowing it down.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)burrowowl
(17,607 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,432 posts)DesertRat
(27,995 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)while they all wait to see how the stance on transgenders shakes out. It takes time to come up with a plan, and to work out the details.
Personally, I think the cost of the TG surgeries is what made this an issue. To Trump.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)Drumph's order directs Mattis to study the issue and determine how to implement the ban.
nolabear
(41,915 posts)My father was military. I know a lot of ways to say "Fuck you."
denbot
(9,894 posts)All the major service chiefs made announcements last week basically snubbing tDumpster's racist bullshit, now Mattis is openly slow walking another bigoted signing order.
I have never seen anything like this. It is my hope that the most senior levels of our military know that tDumpster is not going to be occupying the Oval Office much longer.
DallasNE
(7,392 posts)What will Trump do?
North Korea is watching.