House probes allegations of Biden administration interference on transgender surgeries for minors

A House Oversight subcommittee on Tuesday sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra regarding allegations that the Biden administration pressured global pediatricians to drop age limit guidelines on transgender care for minors.

The Biden administration has sent out mixed messaging on where it stands on transgender surgeries for minors, but most recently claimed that it supports transgender surgeries for adults, and "gender-affirming care for minors," per Fox News.

Michigan GOP Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, penned the letter and alleged the Biden administration inappropriately use its influence to pressure the World Professional Association for Transgender Health to lower its guidelines, citing a New York Times report.

"The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating allegations of political interference by the [HHS] in third-party medical organization recommendations," the letter claimed. "We are concerned that HHS officials, acting in their official capacity, inappropriately applied pressure for changes to international pediatric medical standards."

The pressure campaign was reportedly led by HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Rachel Levine's staff. Levine identifies as a transgender woman.  

"Officials applied this inappropriate pressure by urging for the removal of age limits that expands the pool of children and adolescents recommended for irreversible gender transition surgical procedures," McClain wrote.

 "The Biden Administration’s advocacy for expanding the pool of vulnerable children subjected to life-altering procedures they may later regret is reprehensible," she continued. "Emails indicating that this advocacy was done for political advantage – possibly to satisfy extremist elements of its base – is even more outrageous."

The 2021 medical guidelines for transgender surgeries for minors initially recommended lowering the minimum age for transgender hormone therapy to 14, the age for mastectomies to 15, and the age for genital or hysterectomy procedures to 17. The specific ages were dropped for the final version of the guidelines.

The subcommittee requested documents and information on the allegations by Sept. 10. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.