The House Pentagon funding bill prohibits transgender treatments for minor children of military personnel.

The House of Representatives, controlled by the Republican Party, passed its annual defense spending bill on Wednesday, including a provision that prohibits transgender medical treatments for minor children of U.S. service members.

The bill prohibits medical interventions for the treatment of gender dysphoria that could result in sterilization from being provided to transgender children of military personnel under the age of 18.

Republicans contended that taxpayer money should not finance possibly risky and unproven treatments on adolescents.

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., commended the passage of the defense bill, but it must now be approved by the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

Johnson stated that our military personnel's primary duty is to safeguard our country, not adhere to woke ideology, following the measure's approval.

Although the provision was a victory for Republicans that could advance President-Elect Donald Trump's policy agenda, the measure did not include several other Republican-supported provisions related to social issues. Notably missing were efforts to ban TRICARE, the military's health program, from covering transgender treatments for adults and a proposal to overturn the Pentagon's controversial policy of reimbursing travel expenses for service members seeking abortions in states where the procedure is restricted.

The provision to remove TRICARE from transgender children of service members angered Democrats, with Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, vowing to vote against the bill on Tuesday, despite his previous contributions to the package. On the other hand, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not urge his party members to vote for or against the measure.

The measure was condemned by the United Nations' Human Rights Council (HRC) as an "attack" on military families.

According to HRC President Kelley Robinson, the bill is cruel and hateful, and it will strip away access to medical care for families that members of our armed forces rely on. This could force service members to make a difficult choice between staying in the military or providing health care for their children.

The Senate's decision on the transgender treatment provision will determine the final content of the defense policy for the upcoming fiscal year. If it passes, it will align with Trump's criticisms of the military's "woke" policies.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a groundbreaking case concerning Tennessee's prohibition of transgender medical treatments for minors, potentially imposing additional limitations on these procedures.

The National Defense Authorization Act, which establishes Defense Department policies, was approved in a 281-140 vote, with 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it.

Military-run schools have restrictions on diversity, equity, and inclusion-based recruitment and the teaching of critical race theory. Additionally, policies have been implemented to increase pay for junior enlisted troops, improve child care access, and provide better job assistance for military spouses, as part of a year-long bipartisan effort to address recruitment challenges.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.