Sanders said in a press briefing, "This was about military readiness". Kirsten Gillibrand of NY.

Last week, Students Against Sexual Assault and GW College Democrats released statements condemning Trump's Twitter announcement. It remains unclear whether the changes will go beyond active-duty forces and affect members of the reserve.

Not everyone at the Capitol agreed.

The president today marked his 43rd trip to one of his golf properties since taking office in January.

The letter was introduced and circulated by U.S. Sen.

"Transgender people get left behind".

She also said there was misconception about the downtime required for people who are transitioning.

"I would just like to briefly say that trans people are not disturbances", Win said to the crowd to begin the message.

"I think it's being twisted and spun to make it seem like it would be more than it is,"McGinn said".

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Hours after Trump's tweets, Defense Secretary Mattis, who has been on vacation this week, was publicly silent and the Pentagon referred all questions to the White House. "We have a lot of work to do, collectively", he said.

The wife of a soldier whose 14-year-old daughter is transgender said that she burst into tears when she heard the news.

Military leaders sought to reassure transgender troops Thursday that their jobs and health care are safe - at least for now - after President Trump's tweets a day earlier that implied an immediate end to both. Conservative groups such as the Family Research Council, long opposed to LGBT equality, applauded the president's move, especially his termination of what they called a "social experiment". He mentioned no opposition among service chiefs to allowing transgender service. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system. As of 2014 an estimated 150,000 transgender people have served in the military, and they are more than twice as likely to serve than the general population according to a Los Angeles Times article.

Defense Secretary James Mattis had already ordered a review of the issue of allowing openly transgender recruits to join the military. The American military needs the best people it can recruit and retain, not a discriminatory policy aimed at a tiny minority of patriotic and proven troops.

In their letter, the senators say the president's proposal contradicts existing Defense Department policies, undermines military readiness, and puts those out transgender service members who are now serving at risk of being discharged.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for an estimate of these costs. The President's binary views of gender, along with the perceived exaggerated cost of gender-reassignment surgery give rise to his notion that transgender healthcare is a "tremendous medical cost and disruption" to the military.

Candidate Trump claimed that he would be a steadfast ally to the LGBTQ community. Results revealed that only 32% of Republicans said transgender Americans should have the right to serve, with 49% advising they shouldn't.

"I believe that military service is a touchstone for patriots of whatever stripe", Mattis said. Trio Michael, who spoke at the rally, served in the Marine Corp for five years. And I guess if you keep your "lifestyle choice" hidden, you could enlist and serve.

Politicians also slammed the new decision, describing it as an insult among transgender Americans serving in the military.