West Florida News

U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced the Stopping Transgender Operation Payments and Wacky Expenses for Illegal Residents and Detainees Act (STOP WEIRD Act) on September 12, 2024. The proposed legislation aims to prohibit federal funds from being used to provide gender transition procedures and surgeries to individuals in the custody of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services.

"This is a bill Congress shouldn’t have to write, but my legislation is now necessary because the sitting VP and Democrat nominee for president, Kamala Harris, has pledged to use taxpayer dollars to fund sex change surgeries for illegal immigrants," said Rep. Steube. "Free sex change surgeries join a litany of ‘benefits’ the Democrats promote to illegals to encourage them to break our laws, enter our country illegally, and vote! Congress must pass my bill so we can safeguard our taxpayer dollars from Kamala’s weird and disgusting plan, which she could implement today."

Kamala Harris, Vice President and Democratic nominee for President, has expressed support for taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for prisoners and immigration detainees. In a 2019 ACLU Questionnaire, she wrote: "It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition. That’s why, as Attorney General, I pushed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide gender transition surgery to state inmates. I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained. Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment."