National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, it is really an embarrassment for those in the balcony and those watching on TV to even have to put up listening to amendments to deal with what Matt Rosendale was talking about and to deal with what my amendment is doing, which is similar to his, which is dealing with surgeries using taxpayer dollars for those who don't know whether they are a man or a woman.

It is total insanity. If you don't know if you are a man or a woman, you shouldn't be going into war.

We have got China building ships and airplanes, and here we are debating on the House floor whether taxpayer dollars should cover medical care for that person who thinks they ought to be another sex than what they are.

My amendment prohibits the provision of gender transition procedures, including surgery or medication, through the Exceptional Family Member Program.

Let me tell you what the Exceptional Family Member Program is. It provides resources to military families with special needs children. The program is designed for military spouses, children, or other dependent family members who require ongoing medical or educational services, such as individuals with asthma, autism, chronic respiratory illnesses, and others.

Recently the military has tried to politicize this valuable program for transgender procedure purposes. I almost think this administration is trying to use something insane, like what we are having to do here, to take the focus off the things that are happening in America, like the invasion at the border, crime in the streets, or an economy that is sinking, that we are having to talk about this. I am glad to do it, though. Somebody has to stop it.

For example, last year the Air Force suggested using the EFMP for families who want to help their child transition. Representative Panetta introduced a bill to expand the EFMP to include transgender dependents and specifically lists gender dysphoria as a qualifying medical need for the program.

If you put this out to the everyday American, would they want their tax dollars used for this type of surgery? Would they want their tax dollars--and, by the way, spending money we don't have--going for this.

My amendment ensures that we reserve this valuable program for its original intent, to help families with special needs, and prohibits the use of the program for the provision of or referral for gender transition procedures, such as a gender surgery or for medication. This amendment also prohibits the change of duty station simply for the purpose of providing a child with easier access to these procedures.

Hopefully, we can all agree we should not be using taxpayer dollars to help children get transgender procedures, but, rather, reserve these resources for military families that have children with special needs, chronic illnesses, and educational needs.

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Mr. NORMAN. Madam Chair, what he just said, I don't think his facts are right. You could take everybody in this balcony and ask if they know members who fall into two classes of people, those with special needs and those where a man wants to be a girl. Line them up. The numbers of the group with special needs would far exceed the numbers of the other, and they are the ones that need the tax dollars, not the ones that want to change their sex.

Now, let me tell you some of the chronic life-threatening conditions that this money should go for and did go for until this idiotic idea of using dollars for the trans. It is life-threatening conditions or chronic, including current chronic mental health conditions, asthma or other respiratory-related diagnosis with chronic recurring symptoms, attention deficit disorder, chronic conditions that require adaptive equipment, including technology and environmental or architectural considerations.

I mean, it is idiotic for him to say that the needs of a huge group of people all over this country will be trumped by the needs for a very few. The trans, I think if you do the math, it is less than 1 percent.

No, I think this is a diversion tactic to just get people away. They are weakening the military. That is why we are down 30 percent in recruitment.

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