Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Republicans in both chambers are pressing for floor votes on bills that would criminalize or ban gender-affirming care for minors after President Trump's mention of the issue during last week's address to Congress.
Why it matters: The bills could make it a felony for medical providers to provide gender-affirming care to minors, or make it easier for youths who received treatment to sue their doctors.
- But even if legislation got through the House, it likely wouldn't have the votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate.
Driving the news: Trump on Tuesday said that he wanted Congress to "pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body."
- That came after Trump also issued an executive order in January that directed federal agencies to clamp down on access to gender-affirming care for youths.
What's inside: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a bill in the previous Congress that would make it a Class C felony for any provider to give gender-affirming care to anyone under age 18.
- Greene told Axios that she's working on a simplified version that "criminalizes sex changes on children, just like President Trump had said in his speech."
- Her previous bill would have also allowed those who received gender-affirming care to bring civil action against the provider. And it banned federal funding for any gender-affirming care.
Sen. Josh Hawley has his own bill that would create a "private right of action" for minors who received gender-affirming care and want to take legal action against those who provided it.
- It would effectively make pediatric medical clinics, medical providers and universities associated with facilities that provided gender-affirming care to minors liable.
- Hawley's bill also would ban federal funding for pediatric clinics that provide gender-affirming care.
What they're saying: Hawley and Greene told Axios last week that they are pressing their respective leaders to put their bills on the floor now that Trump put a spotlight on the legislative component.
- "I've talked to our leadership about it," Hawley said. "Hopefully we get to putting it on the floor. And I think we need to not only ban gender transition surgeries for minors, but give victims who have been injured by this the right to hold those who hurt them accountable."
- "I just actually spoke with [House Judiciary Chair] Jim Jordan," Greene said. "It'll be in his committee in Judiciary, he's going to work it through the committee.… We've got to do it through regular order."
- Greene added that she's also spoke to Speaker Johnson about putting the bill on the House floor. And she's talked to Trump about it, who she said told her to "get it passed as soon as possible."
What we're watching: Neither Johnson's nor Majority Leader John Thune's offices responded to a request for comment by deadline about prospects for the legislation.
- For now, priorities remain on funding the government and shaping a GOP reconciliation package.
