House Republicans advance sweeping anti-trans bills ahead of holiday break

December 17, 2025

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene negotiated a House floor vote for her anti-transgender bill before resigning, which would impose up to 10-year prison sentences on doctors providing gender-affirming care to minors and on parents who facilitate such care. The legislation, described by the ACLU as the most extreme anti-trans bill ever considered by Congress, is expected to pass the Republican-controlled House but unlikely to advance in the Senate where it would need Democratic support. Medical professionals and LGBTQ+ advocates warn the bill creates a chilling effect similar to anti-abortion legislation, with families already relocating out of the country due to mounting anti-trans policies.

Who is affected

Transgender and nonbinary minors under 18
Parents and families of trans youth, particularly those in the South who must travel long distances for care
Medical professionals and doctors who provide gender-affirming care
Hospitals and medical organizations
Families already relocating due to anti-trans policies (like Rachel Gonzales and her 15-year-old)
Trans individuals who rely on Medicaid coverage in states that currently provide it
Intersex infants (who would continue to face nonconsensual surgeries under the bill's exemptions)
Millions of Americans facing rising healthcare costs due to expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits

What action is being taken

The House is scheduling a floor vote on Greene's bill for Wednesday
The House Rules Committee voted both Greene's and Crenshaw's bills forward on Tuesday
A full floor vote on Crenshaw's Medicaid restriction bill is expected this week
Rep. Sarah McBride is speaking out against the bills on the Capitol steps
Many families are making long drives to find gender-affirming care appointments
The Human Rights Campaign and Trevor Project are organizing press calls to oppose the legislation

Why it matters

This legislation represents a dramatic escalation of anti-trans policies at the federal level, threatening to criminalize standard medical care with severe penalties that create a chilling effect on healthcare providers. Access to gender-affirming care has been linked to lower rates of depression and suicidality among trans youth, and banning it has documented negative impacts on mental health. The bills would force families who are already struggling—some to the point of leaving the country—to face even more barriers to healthcare, while falsely equating evidence-based medical care with genital mutilation. This conflation undermines legitimate efforts to protect children from actual harmful practices while ironically permitting nonconsensual surgeries on intersex infants to continue.

What's next

The House floor vote on Greene's bill is scheduled for Wednesday
After passing the House (where it needs a simple majority), the bill will go to the Senate
A full floor vote on Crenshaw's Medicaid restriction bill is expected this week
The Trump administration is expected to crack down further on gender-affirming care for trans people of all ages

Read full article from source: The 19th