A ban on transgender service members in the military may begin within six months, according to a White House memo cited in news reports Wednesday night.
Within days the White House is expected to give the Pentagon guidance on banning transgender people from serving in the military, and to cease spending on medical treatments for transgender service members, according to information first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the memo.
According to the report, the new policy would give Defense Secretary Jim Mattis some discretion in considering a service member’s ability to deploy when deciding whether that person should be separated from the military.
President Donald Trump first announced his intention to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military on July 26 in a series of tweets. Since that time, the Pentagon has sent staff to assist the White House in turning the tweet into policy, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters earlier this month.
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A Pentagon spokesman said as of Thursday morning it had not received any official guidance from the White House.
Pentagon bureau chief Tara Copp contributed to this report.
