MICD and MIHSD Condemns Democratic Support for the Passage of the $895B Defense Bill
Lansing, Michigan | December 16th, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
This past Wednesday, the House voted to pass H.R. 8070, an $895B defense spending bill. Within the bill is a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year. Beyond that, the bill “prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization,” according to PBS.
The legislation passed by 281-140 votes, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats supporting it. Among those 81 Democrats were Congressman Thanedar, Congresswoman Scholten, and Congresswoman and Senator-Elect Slotkin.
The Michigan College Democrats and Michigan High School Democrats unequivocally condemn the passage of the $895 billion defense bill with the stipulations that discriminate against transgender people, and even more so condemn the Michigan Democratic legislators who voted in favor of this harmful legislation. The Democratic Party prides itself on being a progressive organization and a home for marginalized communities. Allowing this discriminatory language represents a failure to uphold those principles.
At a time when transgender rights are under further attack by the far right in legislatures and courtrooms across the country, the Democratic Party must not capitulate on protecting the rights of transgender Americans, especially transgender youth.
While we feel disappointed by these votes, there is still time left to remove the transphobic sections of the bill. Michigan Senator Gary Peters—a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee—has a critical role to play in shaping the future of H.R. 8070.
Now that the bill has reached the Senate, we are calling upon Senator Peters to lead the effort to revise its language during the committee's review process. It is essential that harmful provisions are removed before the bill advances to the Senate floor for a final vote. Senator Peters needs to uphold the values of the party of progress, ensuring the unequivocal protection of trans youth.
We urge all Democrats to contact Senator Gary Peters’ office to ensure he revises the bill. As Democrats, we need to live up to the promise of being the party of progress and defend our LGBTQ+ community.
