Trump Administration Considers Funding Cuts for Hospitals Providing Gender Change Care to Minors
President Donald Trump is seemingly contemplating cuts to federal funding for hospitals that offer gender-transition care for minors, despite previous administration directives on the issue.
Mehmet Oz, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been reviewing nine children’s hospitals. The deadline for compliance is set for May 28th, and CMS aims to ensure these facilities are not providing gender-related procedures to minors. Reports indicate that CMS might withdraw federal funds from hospitals that fail to comply with the required data reporting standards, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Oz stated, “President Trump was clear. America protects children from life-changing and experimental procedures.” He emphasized that CMS is alerting hospitals and state Medicaid programs about potential risks and is taking enforcement actions.
The CMS has not responded to inquiries for comment.
Additionally, CMS is looking into the possibility of disqualifying hospitals from Medicaid altogether if they continue to offer gender-related services to children. This is significant, as many hospitals depend on federal funding for their operations.
The Trump administration has previously pressured several youth gender clinics to shut down, including the Transaus Health Development Center at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, one of the largest facilities of its kind. Recent reports suggest that UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh will also halt the provision of adolescent blockers in response to CMS communications.
On another front, Boston Children’s Hospital is at a crossroads concerning its practices in light of state laws that require the provision of certain gender treatments for minors.
Through various actions, Trump aims to eliminate procedures related to child gender transitions. A presidential order issued in January withdrew federal funding for such operations, and in April, Attorney General Pam Bondi escalated efforts to investigate doctors performing gender surgeries on minors.
