Opinion -- Trump Administration Humiliating Discharged Trans Servicemembers

By Bree Fram

Yesterday, I attended the first of what promises to be a string of heartbreaking events: service members retiring next to their uniform, not in it. The uniform standing beside the person who sacrificed, sweated, and, in many cases, bled for what it represented. Yet, they are denied the opportunity for a final honor: to wear, one last time, the uniform that defined them, that meant everything to them.

At the end of this year, it will be my turn to stand beside the uniform that carried my heart for 23 years.

The first to face this indignity is Coast Guard Captain Trey Wirth. And if you know Trey, you know he is a man of deep dignity, quiet strength, and boundless grace. You would have seen that in his ceremony through his words of gratitude and reverence for a country whose government has now said he is unworthy of the uniform. You would have seen it in the love and respect offered by those who served with him and under him.

The tears that are common at these ceremonies weren’t just in Trey’s eyes. They were in everyone’s, as story after story revealed his dedication, achievements, and the deep relationships he built over 25 years of honorable service.

Why was Trey, as many others will be, being denied the chance to wear the uniform?

Because under the auspices of Executive Order 14183, which cast aspersions on our character, we are being discharged with codes that mark us as national security concerns. Because the government has unilaterally imposed standards upon us based on our sex assigned at birth and ordered leaders to enforce them.

That means if we wear the uniform we've worn for years, the one that reflects who we are, we could face disciplinary action, including court-martial, a less-than-honorable discharge, and the loss of benefits.

Trey, and so many other honorable transgender service members, played by the rules. They did the right thing, even when it meant gritting their teeth and persevering through pain. Now the rules have changed. And we’ve been recast as the problem.

A problem which is apparently so severe that we’re not even allowed the simple dignity of wearing our uniforms on the way out the door. 

Bree Fram is an Astronautical Engineer with the US Space Force.

 

Congressman Sam Graves -- Bill Would Modernize Transportation, Cut Waste

By Congressman Sam Graves’ Office

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by Chairman Sam Graves (MO-06), approved its budget reconciliation proposal to secure the border, support President Trump’s national security agenda, and modernize America’s air traffic control system. These investments will be more than offset by slashing funding for Green New Deal style programs, requiring electric vehicles (EVs) begin paying for their use of the highway system just like other highway users, and other deficit reduction measures. The T&I Committee will now send its proposal, which reduces the deficit by more than $10 billion, to the House Budget Committee.

“The Committee took decisive action in support of the President’s America First agenda,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (MO-06). “My bill cuts wasteful Green New Deal spending and ensures that electric vehicles finally start paying for the maintenance of our roads and bridges. We also approved historic investments in the United States Coast Guard to strengthen our national and border security, and we took equally important strides towards finally modernizing the nation’s outdated air traffic control system. ”

Chairman Graves’ proposal would reduce federal spending and deficits by rescinding unobligated funds and eliminating seven unnecessary Green New Deal style programs created in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Those programs include the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants, Environmental Review Implementation Funds, and Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants under the Federal Highway Administration, among others. 

The proposal ensures that electric vehicles pay to fix our roads and bridges like other vehicles. The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is funded by user-fees. However, since EVs do not use gas, they do not pay the user fee, and this inequity contributes to a growing shortfall in the funds to repair roads and bridges across the country.

Chairman Graves proposal provides additional investments in the U.S. Coast Guard to protect national security and secure our maritime borders. It gives the Coast Guard the tools it needs to better protect our borders, stopping illegal immigrants and drugs from entering the country, and protect our national and economic security in the Arctic, where competitors such as China and Russia are aggressively expanding their activities.

It also invests in the improved safety and reliability of America’s air traffic control (ATC) system, replacing outdated ATC technology, modernizing the ATC system, and enhancing the hiring of air traffic controllers following several aviation tragedies in recent months, which are priorities of the President and DOT Secretary Duffy.

 

Sen. Josh Hawley -- Hawley Urges Action on Law Requiring 'Duck Boat' Safety Regulations

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan calling for the law requiring new safety standards for DUKW amphibious vehicles, also known as “duck boats,” to be properly implemented. New standards are intended to help prevent future tragedies following the 2018 accident on Table Rock Lake that claimed the lives of 17 people.

"When I joined the Senate, one of the first bills I introduced was the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2020. This legislation aimed to prevent similar accidents in the future by requiring amphibious vehicles meet minimum buoyancy requirements, weather preparedness standards, and new canopy regulations," wrote Senator Hawley. "It is critically important that we ensure the safety of all passengers and prevent future accidents.”

Senator Hawley introduced his Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act originally in 2019, and through a series of reintroductions it passed the House and Senate. The new standards were signed into law as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. That law gave the Coast Guard six months to take action on implementing the additional safety standards—a deadline that has now passed.

Read the full letter: 

Admiral Linda Fagan

Commandant

U.S. Coast Guard

Washington, DC 20032

Dear Commandant Fagan,

I write concerning the United States Coast Guard’s statutory obligation to issue new safety regulations for DUKW amphibious vehicles, also known as “duck boats.”

As you may know, on July 19, 2018, Missouri experienced one of the deadliest boating accidents in U.S. history. An amphibious duck boat capsized during a severe thunderstorm on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, tragically claiming the lives of 17 people. That is why, when I joined the Senate, one of the first bills I introduced was the Duck Boat Safety Enhancement Act of 2020. This legislation aimed to prevent similar accidents in the future by requiring amphibious vehicles meet minimum buoyancy requirements, weather preparedness standards, and new canopy regulations.

As you know, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 included this legislation, which requires you to “initiate a rulemaking to establish additional safety standards for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels” within “6 months.” President Biden signed this into law on December 23, 2022. It has now been over six months.

While there are some indications you have begun work on these new standards, I urge you to complete this process and issue the new guidance as soon as possible. It is critically important that we ensure the safety of all passengers and prevent future accidents. By August 1, 2023, please provide my office an update on the status of this regulation and your expected timeline for issuing the rule.

Sincerely, 

Josh Hawley

United States Senator