Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz have launched a sweeping effort to cut federal funding for transgender related medical procedures for minors, marking one of the most aggressive health policy shifts of the Trump administration. Their actions aim to stop what they describe as dangerous, unproven, and ideologically driven medical practices that harm children while enriching hospitals and medical institutions.
What Kennedy and Oz Have Done
On December 18, Kennedy signed a formal declaration stating that sex rejecting procedures for children and adolescents are neither safe nor effective treatments for gender dysphoria or related conditions. He said these procedures fail to meet professionally recognized standards of medical care. The declaration covers surgical interventions such as breast removal and vaginoplasties, as well as drugs like puberty blockers and cross sex hormones.
At the same time, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced two major proposed rules. One would bar hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid from performing these procedures on minors. The other would prohibit federal funds from being used to pay for them, including money flowing through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Dr. Oz, who oversees Medicare and Medicaid, made clear what is at stake. Nearly all U.S. hospitals rely on these programs, and about 53 percent of children are covered by federal insurance. Hospitals that refuse to comply could lose access to the largest funding streams in American health care.
“We’re not going to let taxpayer money go to hurt these children,” Oz said at the press briefing.
Who They Are Threatening and How Enforcement Works
The threat is direct and powerful. Hospitals and providers that continue offering these treatments to minors could be deemed out of compliance with Medicare and Medicaid participation rules. Losing that funding would be financially devastating for most hospitals.
The Food and Drug Administration has also entered the fight. The agency sent warning letters to 12 manufacturers of chest binders, accusing them of illegally marketing the products to children as treatments for gender dysphoria. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary warned that continued violations could lead to import alerts, seizures, and injunctions.
In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services is moving to reverse a prior effort to classify gender dysphoria as a disability under federal law. A proposed rule would clarify that policies limiting these procedures do not violate nondiscrimination requirements tied to federal funding.
What They Are Trying to Achieve
Kennedy framed the effort as a return to science, ethics, and the core medical principle of doing no harm. He cited an HHS report that found many gender related medical interventions for children carry serious risks, including infertility and loss of bone density, while offering uncertain benefits. The report recommended psychotherapy as a safer alternative.
“This declaration is a clear directive to providers to follow the science,” Kennedy said, adding that the evidence shows these procedures hurt rather than help children.
Oz echoed that view, calling transgender treatments for minors “a Band Aid on a much deeper pathology” and saying many children are confused and need psychological help rather than irreversible medical interventions.
The Trump Administration Background and Two Sexes Policy
These moves build directly on President Trump’s broader agenda. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring that the federal government recognizes only two immutable sexes, male and female. He has repeatedly described transgender procedures for children as abusive and immoral.
Trump has also signed orders cutting off federal support for gender transitions for people under 19 and barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. The Make America Healthy Commission established earlier in 2025 reinforced this position, rejecting what the administration calls radical gender ideology embedded in government and medicine.
What Led Up to This Moment
The groundwork was laid by a series of HHS reports released in 2024 and 2025 that reviewed evidence on treatments for childhood gender dysphoria. The reports concluded that the benefits of puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries were uncertain, while the risks were significant and often poorly tracked.
International developments added momentum. Reports from Britain and policy shifts across Europe highlighted weak evidence for these treatments and led several countries to restrict their use. In the United States, at least 27 states have already passed laws limiting or banning gender related medical care for minors. A recent Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s ban affirmed that states have wide latitude to regulate in this medically contested area.
Supporters Say This Is Long Overdue
Supporters argue the administration is finally standing up to a powerful medical establishment that embraced ideology over evidence. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of the group Do No Harm praised the Medicare and Medicaid restrictions as common sense and morally imperative, calling them a major step toward dismantling what he described as the child transgender industry.
Conservative activist Chloe Cole, who has spoken publicly about reversing her own gender transition, said at the press conference that the cries for help from people like her have finally been heard.
Polling suggests public support is broader than critics admit. An Associated Press and NORC survey found that about half of U.S. adults approved of how Trump handled transgender issues, reinforcing the administration’s claim that it is aligned with mainstream voters.
Opponents Push Back Hard
Opponents, including major medical organizations such as the American Medical Association, argue the rules contradict medical consensus and endanger lives. Dr. Jamila Perritt of Physicians for Reproductive Health called the proposed rules a targeted attack on transgender youth and clinicians, saying hospitals are being strongarmed into compliance.
Advocacy groups like The Trevor Project warned that limiting access to gender affirming care could increase depression, anxiety, and suicide risk among transgender youth. Civil liberties groups argue the administration is overreaching and will face lawsuits once the rules move through the required public comment process.
A Broader Reckoning With Woke Medicine
From the administration’s perspective, the backlash only underscores the problem. Kennedy accused medical organizations of betraying their Hippocratic oath and promoting what he called junk science driven by ideological pursuits rather than children’s well being.
“This is not medicine. It is malpractice,” Kennedy said. “Sex rejecting procedures rob children of their futures.”
Whether the proposed rules survive legal challenges remains to be seen. But politically and philosophically, the message is unmistakable. The Trump administration, with Kennedy and Oz at the helm of health policy, is drawing a firm line against what it sees as a dangerous cultural experiment embedded in American medicine. For supporters, this is not just a policy change. It is a long overdue course correction.
