Tensions reached a boiling point on the House floor Wednesday as representatives clashed over proposed amendments targeting military healthcare coverage for “transgender” procedures.
The heated exchange centered around amendments introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), which seek to restrict Department of Defense funding for so-called gender-transition treatments.
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) initiated the confrontation by targeting Mace personally during floor debate.
“I think it’s very interesting that my colleague from South Carolina is so obsessed with the issue of trans people,” Jacobs stated.
Jacobs accused Mace of “using horrible slurs to talk about [transgender-identified people], when many people in this body have received gender affirming care.”
The California representative did not specify which statements she characterized as slurs.
The House is scheduled to vote on multiple Mace-sponsored amendments addressing military policies.
One amendment would prohibit the Department of War “from allocating taxpayer resources toward gender-transition procedures or treatments through TRICARE,” the military healthcare program.
A second amendment from Mace addresses athletic competition, seeking to prohibit “biological males [from] competing against our daughters in uniform.”
This targets military sports and fitness programs, per reports.
Jacobs responded to the proposed restrictions by drawing comparisons between military gender treatments and common cosmetic procedures.