Updated April 22, 2025 at 09:38 AM ET
More than a dozen Senate Democrats have signed onto a letter demanding a status update from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over the military's treatment of transgender service.
The letter, drafted by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and first obtained by NPR, calls for Hegseth to explain to lawmakers how the Pentagon is complying with two separate federal court rulings blocking President Trump's executive order attempting to ban transgender troops from military service.
Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient, uses the letter to denounce the executive order, writing that any effort to deny military service "based on ideological grounds is inherently un-American and jeopardizes our national security."
"This istration's animus towards transgender heroes," she writes, "prioritizes a manufactured culture war over military excellence and readiness and is a purge of brave service who protect our freedoms."
In a series of questions addressed to Hegseth, Duckworth inquires as to whether any transgender service had been prematurely dismissed due to the executive order and what steps the Department of Defense has taken to bring them back. She also asks what actions the agency has taken to ensure transgender service "can continue to serve without facing stigma or backlash resulting from the Trump istration's targeted attacks against them."
The letter is the first targeted effort by Democratic senators to press Hegseth on the istration's policy toward transgender service. In it, Duckworth requests a response by Friday, but it is unclear whether the defense secretary will provide additional information.
"Per our longstanding policy, the Department will communicate directly with elected officials regarding official correspondence," a Defense official said in a statement.
In addition to the president's attempted ban on transgender people serving in the military, Trump has signed an executive order meant to restrict transgender athletes from playing in women's sports. He's also taken steps to end gender-affirming medical care for children and teenagers.
Duckworth's letter comes as the Trump istration is facing heightened scrutiny over its compliance with the courts more broadly. Ongoing clashes between the White House and the federal courts over the president's deportation agenda have sparked fears among legal experts about the potential for a constitutional crisis.
The istration has appealed both preliminary injunctions on Trump's order seeking to ban transgender service. Last week, a Ninth Circuit denied a request by the istration for a stay in one of the cases, Shilling v. Trump, which was filed on behalf of seven transgender troops actively serving as well as an individual hoping to enlist.
The other case, Talbott v. Trump, was brought on behalf of six transgender service and two prospective service.
There are roughly 1.3 million active duty service in the U.S., however an estimated 4,240 active duty service have gender dysphoria, the Department of Defense has previously told NPR. Though this estimate places transgender troops at less than 1% of current forces, previous research puts the number higher. In 2018, a report by the Palm Center, which studies LGBTQ+ inclusion in the military, found that there were 14,700 transgender troops and 8,980 were active duty service.
In her letter, Duckworth noted that the army has struggled in recent years to retain service, highlighting that one quarter of recruited soldiers since 2022 have been unable to complete their initial military contracts, according to a recent analysis of Army data from Military.com.
"Our Nation cannot afford to expel several thousand troops serving honorably on a baseless, hateful whim," she said.
Thirteen other Democratic lawmakers signed the letter. They are Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey, New York's Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, Pennsylvania's John Fetterman, Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Maryland's Chris Van Hollen, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rhode Island's Sheldon Whitehouse.
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