The House Oversight Committee panel is investigating accusations that the Biden administration pressured a global medical recommendations body to drop age limit guidelines for transgender care. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra citing a New York Times report that the administration pressured the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to remove age limit recommendations for transgender youth surgeries. The pressure campaign was led by the staff of HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman.
The Biden administration’s advocacy for expanding the pool of vulnerable children subjected to life-altering procedures they may later regret is concerning, according to the letter from McClain. The topic of transgender medical care, especially for minors, has been a political hot button issue in recent years. Initially, the 2021 medical guidelines recommended lowering the acceptable age for transgender hormone therapy to 14, the age for mastectomies to 15, and 17 years for genital or hysterectomy procedures. However, those limits were dropped from the final version of the recommendations, prompting backlash and an investigation by the House Oversight Committee panel.
The letter from the subcommittee demanded that HHS turn over all relevant documents and communications by Sept. 10, and warned the department not to obstruct the probe. The committee expressed concerns that HHS has not cooperated in good faith with previous oversight investigations and called on the department to provide the necessary information for their investigation. The Biden administration initially faced backlash over the Times report prompting the White House to clarify that they did not support gender-affirming surgery for minors but later altered its response to support gender-affirming care for minors, respecting the role of parents, families, and doctors in those decisions.
The controversy surrounding transgender medical care and the accusations of political interference in setting age limit guidelines for transgender surgeries has raised concerns among lawmakers. The pressure campaign allegedly led by HHS officials to remove age limits for transgender youth surgeries has been seen as potentially harmful to vulnerable children. The administration initially faced backlash before eventually clarifying its stance on gender-affirming care for minors and agreeing to cooperate with the House Oversight Committee’s investigation.
The subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, led by Rep. Lisa McClain, is investigating claims of political interference by the Biden administration in third-party medical organization recommendations. The allegations suggest that HHS officials inappropriately applied pressure for changes to international pediatric medical standards. The investigation stems from a New York Times report that the administration pressured WPATH to remove age limit recommendations for transgender youth surgeries. The letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra expressed concerns about the administration’s advocacy for expanding the pool of vulnerable children subjected to potentially life-altering procedures.
The House Oversight Committee panel has demanded that HHS provide all relevant documents and communications related to the accusations of political interference in transgender care guidelines. The committee warned the department not to obstruct the probe and expressed concerns about HHS’s lack of cooperation in previous oversight investigations. The controversy surrounding transgender medical care, particularly for minors, has raised questions about the Biden administration’s stance on gender-affirming care and the role of political influence in setting medical guidelines for transgender individuals.
