President Trump Bans Transgender People From Military Service

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will not "accept or allow" transgender people to serve in the military, overturning a decision made by President Obama to lift the barrier to entry in June 2016.

"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow... Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military," he wrote on Twitter. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

He continued: "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming... victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."

Watch: Putting Trump's Proposed Transgender Military Ban In Context

The House of Representatives recently voted down a bill that would have barred the military from funding gender reassignment surgery from transgender service members.

Jonathan Swan, a reporter for Axios, said on Twitter that an administration official gave him the following statement about the policy announcement: "This forces Democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will blue collar voters in these states respond when senators up for re-election in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaign?"

Current military policy, as devised under the previous administration, says: "Transgender Service members may serve openly, and they can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military solely for being transgender individuals."

During the campaign, Trump was often portrayed as more supportive of LGBT rights than many other Republicans. As other GOP candidates, most notably Sen. Ted Cruz, joined in national debates over whether to allow transgender people to use the bathrooms of their choice, Trump largely stayed out of the fray. Instead, he said he had no problem letting transgender people use whichever bathroom they prefer at his properties.

"15,000+ transgender Americans are already bravely serving our country," wrote Chad Griffin, the president of LGBT advocacy organization the Human Rights Campaign. "By attacking them, [Trump] is undermining our military.

On June 14, 2016, Trump tweeted: "Thank you LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs."

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images