The House passed a massive defense spending bill Wednesday with a provision that bars the military’s health care program from covering transition-related care for minors. Johnson did not return a request for comment regarding the potential effects of the provision on some military families. “[B]lanketly denying health care to people who need it — just because of a biased notion against transgender people — is wrong,” Smith said in a statement Tuesday. She said the Tricare restriction would further affect where service members can live and how long they serve. “Military families with trans kids have been serving for decades and it’s never been an issue,” she said.

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Persons: Mike Johnson, Joe Biden —, Johnson, ”, “, Adam Smith, ” Smith, Cathy Marcello, ” Marcello, it’s Organizations: National Defense, Pentagon, Republicans, Air Force, Armed, Modern Military Association of America, Defense, “ Locations: Tricare