[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 124 (Monday, July 21, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3479-H3480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRANSGENDER AMERICANS SERVE WITH HONOR

  (Ms. McBride of Delaware was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I joined my neighbors 
across Delaware in celebrating the freedoms that define our Nation, 
freedoms made possible by those who have worn the uniform.

[[Page H3480]]

  It is appalling that while families gathered under fireworks to honor 
that sacrifice, the Trump administration was all too quietly forcing 
thousands of patriots from military service. These are Americans who 
have served with honor, distinction, and unshakable patriotism. They 
are brave, honorable, and committed patriots who have also dared to 
have the courage to say out loud that they are transgender. These are 
qualified, trained, and decorated servicemembers. They have deployed 
into combat, flown missions overseas, and led troops through danger.
  Now, this administration is telling them that despite their 
qualifications and their exemplary quality of service that they can no 
longer serve, simply because of how they express their gender. That 
message is immoral, unfair, and un-American.
  I represent Delaware's at-large district, a district that includes 
thousands, tens of thousands of Active-Duty servicemembers, veterans, 
and military families. In our State, service isn't abstract. It is 
personal. We see every single day what honor, discipline, and sacrifice 
looks like regardless of someone's gender identity.
  These individuals met the same rigorous standards as their peers, the 
same physical exams, screenings, and background checks; and in many 
cases, under intense scrutiny, they didn't just meet those standards, 
they exceeded them.
  Trans servicemembers are receiving glowing fitness reports and 
commendations. One was described by her commander as within the top 5 
percent of officers I have encountered in 18 years of military service.
  Another, an aviator with 60 combat missions under her belt, earned 
the strongest possible recommendation for promotion, and I quote her 
commander directly, who attested: ``People thrive under her 
leadership.''
  A third, a noncommissioned officer and instructor, was called 
undoubtedly within the top 5 percent of NCOs I have worked with in my 
22 years of service.
  In a recent hearing, the Secretary of Defense even commended these 
patriots, only to frantically retract his praise when he decided that 
their being transgender, one small part of who these soldiers are, 
somehow outweighed their years of proven high performance and service 
to this country. These servicemembers were just dismissed by this 
administration.
  The most powerful aspect of our military, the thing that makes it 
unique against our adversaries, is that it is a military of the people. 
In the United States, patriotism does not discriminate. In this 
country, if you are willing to serve, to fight for our core beliefs and 
to meet the standards, then we welcome you to stand with us, regardless 
of your race, religion, national origin, or any other aspect of who you 
are because you are an American, a patriot first.
  This decision to remove proven patriots for no justification causes 
serious weakness to our force. It turns away proven courage. It wastes 
billions in taxpayer investment, decades of hard-earned experience, and 
is a direct blow to readiness because this decision isn't about 
readiness. It is not about discipline or merit, and it is certainly not 
about cost.
  It is about exclusion. It is about using identity as a wedge to 
divide and distract. It is a cynical politics, not sound policy. Our 
military, which should never be a political tool, is paying the price.
  Across Delaware, from Georgetown to Wilmington, I have met 
transgender veterans who served this Nation with distinction. Some 
stepped forward while hiding who they were, forced to choose between 
their truth and their country. Others served openly when policy briefly 
aligned with principle. All of them served with honor.

                              {time}  1210

  Mr. Speaker, these are Americans asking to serve their country and to 
put their last full measure of devotion on the line, just like 
generations before them. The least we can do is let them.
  We are not made safer by sidelining qualified patriots. We are not 
made stronger by narrowing the ranks of who gets to serve. We are not 
made freer by telling brave Americans that their truth disqualifies 
them from service.
  This ban weakens our military. It betrays our values. It sends the 
cruelest possible message to some of our most dedicated citizens. It 
says their service is unwelcome and that one identity matters more than 
what they have done, what they have sacrificed, and what they fight 
for.
  Mr. Speaker, I reject that message. I salute every transgender 
servicemember. I thank them. I see them. I honor them. I will not stop 
fighting for a country that is truly worthy of their service.

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