In his first executive order, President Trump on Monday rescinded dozens of Biden-era measures, including allowing members of the transgender community to serve in the military.
In a signing ceremony in front of supporters at Capitol One Arena, President Trump rescinded Executive Order 14004, signed by his predecessor Biden in January 2021.
of Biden's orderAlso known as “Enabling All Eligible Americans to Serve Our Country in Uniform,” it repeals the 2018 ban on transgender service members enacted during President Trump's first term. did.
It also provides broader guarantees that service members will not be discharged or separated from the military based on their gender identity, and allows former military members to correct their records.
The White House announced it was revoking a series of executive orders from the Biden administration because the previous administration had “deeply embedded unpopular, inflationary, illegal and extremist practices” throughout the federal government.
President Trump's White House specifically accused the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative of “corrupting hard work, merit, and equality by replacing it with a divisive and dangerous hierarchy of favoritism.”
The Biden-era executive orders that President Trump rescinded included DEI and racial equity initiatives across the federal government, as well as efforts to prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Monday night that President Trump has “already reduced the focus on lethality in our military by ending the Woke DEI program.” We're getting it back.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to reinstate the ban on transgender service members serving in the military. Defense secretary candidate Pete Hegseth has criticized the idea of transgender people serving in the military.
In his inaugural address, Trump said only two people would formally recognize their gender, aiming to dispel Biden's commitment to the DEI initiative more broadly and replace it with a process that Trump considers merit-based. are.
Monday's action is also part of a broader Republican crackdown on transgender members of the military.
Republicans successfully passed an amendment to the 2025 defense bill signed into law by Biden that would block gender-affirming care for transgender children of military personnel, but many Democrats opposed the provision. did.
