On Thursday, Congress unveiled the far- planned spending bill to minimize a authorities shutdown. The debates over traditional “policy users” raged throughout the expenses, which includes funding for significant government agencies like Health and Human Services and Education.
These coverage riders included restrictions on protection for gender- affirming treatment, DEI prohibitions, sports bans and more. Despite some signs that Democrats might be compromising because of how many conventional policy riders exist, it seems as though those fears were unfounded. Liberals remained calm during negotiations, and the most potent anti-trans and anti-LGBT users were nowhere to be found.
One proposed legislation horse for the Food and Drug Administration would have defunded any clinics that “distributes, sells or otherwise uses drugs that destroy the emergence of puberty or physical growth for those under 18,” a measure that targets both transgender youth and those just starting their puberty.
In the Department of Health and Human Services, another horse urged the government to omit any money for” medical procedures or hormone treatment for the purposes of gender-affirming attention.” Personal and funded plan in the Healthcare Marketplace would have been significantly impacted by this decision. Additionally, it sought to stop the protection of President Joe Biden’s senior order, which expanded anti-discrimination protections for trans people.
More riders included bans on financing for any business that “promotes transgenderism”, Title IX protections for trans children, bans on constitutional challenges against states over anti- LGBTQ+ laws, book bans, DEI bans and more.
In total, over 40 riders were proposed and negotiated in the spending bills. None of these were contained in the final bill.
In the end, the final spending bill released only one anti-LGBT rider: a ban on Pride flags being displayed or raised above foreign embassies. While undoubtedly considered a change in policies from the Trump era and a change in policy, the policy does not permit embassy employees to display personal Pride flags.
In the past, some embassies have gotten around such bans by not “flying a flag over the embassy” but rather, painting portions of the embassy in rainbow colors or draping flags on the side of buildings.
Following a significant push from Equality Caucus Democrats and the Biden administration against the riders, news of the defeat of the most impactful anti-trans and anti-LGBT riders comes after a significant push from the riders. We write to the Biden administration to strongly urge you to reject any attempts to include anti-LGBT+ provisions in any final FY24 funding agreement as you negotiate government funding for Fiscal Year 2024 ( FY24 ).
However, Republicans also pushed hard for their inclusion. Republicans claimed that a potential shutdown was necessary in a shutdown threat issued on February 21 from the House Freedom Caucus.
Previously, U. S. Dan Crenshaw ( R- Texas ) stated that such bans are the “hill we will die on”. In a report published by Axios, one Republican lawmaker stated,” People are predicting a shutdown even if it’s just for a few days”. Others backed their claims, citing gender-affirming care riders as one of the potential causes of such a shutdown.
Numerous Republican Party anti-LG leaders criticized the bill. U. S. Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R- Fla. ) expressed anger at funding for the New Jersey Garden State Equality in Education Fund, calling it “force feeding the LGBT agenda in schools” and stating that it enables “gender mutilation surgeries in minors”, “biological men” in women’s bathrooms and trans participation in sports.
U. S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ( R- Ga. ) decried the lack of a DEI ban. U. S. Rep. Andrew Clyde ( R- Ga. ) stated that Republicans” surrendered” to Democrats on hormone therapy. The GOP was urged by the House Freedom Caucus to vote “no” and shut down the government by the House Freedom Caucus, which published a lengthy list of healthcare and equality centers that the budget would fund.
Over a hundred poison-pill riders, many of whom targeted LGBTQ people, were stated in a press release released by House Appropriations Democrats. For example, the Labor- HHS- Education portion of the bill blocked provisions around gender affirming care, sports bans and nondiscrimination.
See the House Appropriations Democrats statement:
To prevent a government shutdown, the bill must be passed by Friday night, even though it is likely not to be passed until Monday. The bill would fund the government through September, when all of the riders would likely return to prominence during the 2024 presidential election’s climax.
LGBTQ riders wo n’t pose a significant threat in a year where trans and queer people have experienced attacks at historic levels, for the next few months.
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Erin Reed is a transgender woman ( she/her pronouns ) and researcher who tracks anti- LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Additionally, Reed is a public speaker and social media consultant.
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The article that preceded it was originally published at Erin In The Morning and is now republished with permission.
