(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump announced today that the U.S. military will not allow transgender people to serve in the military, reversing a policy change announced last year under President Barack Obama.

The Obama administration made the decision last year to end the ban on transgender people serving openly in the military after a lengthy period of study, and Defense Department Secretary Ashton Carter made the announcement in a detailed press conference. Trump gave word in a series of three tweets this morning.

“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…… victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you”

A 2016 RAND Corporation study found that there are about 2,500 transgender people out of 1.3 million active duty service members, and 1,500 out of 825,000 in the reserves (the upper end of estimates are 7,000 and 4,000 respectively). LGBTQ groups say the total is even higher, around 15,000.

“We’re talking about talented and trained Americans who are serving our country with honor and distinction,” Carter said in announcing the decision last year to allow transgender individuals to serve. The RAND report also found that there would minimal financial costs and no significant impact on readiness.

The cost of gender transition-related surgeries and hormone treatments would amount to an increase of between .04 and 0.13 percent in military healthcare spending, according to the study. At the highest estimate, less than 0.1 percent of the force would seek care that could delay deployment.

Carter said today that in a statement that the reinstatement of the ban would “send the wrong signal to a younger generation thinking about military service.”

The Trump administration had already delayed implementation of the roll-out after a yearlong review period. While the president cited medical costs and other “disruption,” at least one administration official said it was meant to influence the 2018 elections.

Politico offers up a different narrative and a look at the careening behind the scenes.

A group of House Republicans had been threatening to block a spending bill unless it included a ban on Pentagon-funded sex reassignment surgeries. Moderate Republicans, however, were disinclined and GOP leadership declined. That put the spending bill, full of Trumpian priorities, in jeopardy. Politico reports:

That’s why House lawmakers took the matter to the Trump administration. And when Defense Secretary James Mattis refused to immediately upend the policy, they went straight to the White House. Trump — never one for political correctness — was all too happy to oblige….

The president’s directive, of course, took the House issue a step beyond paying for gender reassignment surgery and other medical treatment. House Republicans were never debating expelling all transgender troops from the military.

“This is like someone told the White House to light a candle on the table and the WH set the whole table on fire,” said one senior House Republican aide. The source said that while GOP leaders asked the White House for help, they weren’t expecting — and got no heads up on — Trump’s far-reaching directive.

The White House has not been able to answer basic questions about what the directive means for current transgender service members.

During the campaign, Trump pledged to “fight” for the the LGBT community “while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs.”

Almost immediately after coming into office, his administration also rolled back Obama-era guidance to allow transgender students to use whichever bathroom fits their gender identity.

This post has been updated

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