WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's latest discriminatory plan to prevent highly-qualified transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military:

“I oppose this discriminatory and divisive ban.  President Trump may think it helps him with his political base, but it’s a real disservice to the professionalism of all our troops.

“Thousands of transgender soldiers are currently serving in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Trump Administration still has not made a compelling, fact-based case for kicking them out, or preventing highly-qualified Americans from enlisting.  We must not let bigotry impede our military’s critical mission.

“I support the ongoing legal challenges to overturn the Trump Administration’s orders to exclude transgender Americans from military service.

“I renew my call for Congress to act on a bipartisan basis to overturn this ill-conceived policy and to do what is best for our country and national security, protecting those who have voluntarily put their lives on the line for the security of this nation.

“Despite this order, I have every expectation that the Department of Defense will continue to abide by the numerous judicial injunctions affecting this issue, including the continuing ability of transgender individuals to join the military today under those judicial orders.”