A member of the Senate Armed Service Committee called on Defense Secretary Ash Carter to delay the plan to open the military to transgender individuals until he answers congressional questions about how the policy change will affect military readiness.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said he will call for hearings on the move, announced by Carter Thursday, that the Pentagon would no longer restrict transgender people from serving in the military.
“Our military is facing historic readiness shortfalls, putting our service members’ lives at greater risk,” Inhofe said. “Addressing this crisis should be the sole focus of the Obama administration, but instead they continue to be more interested in forcing their social agenda through the DoD.
“In the coming days, I will be asking Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain and Ranking Member Jack Reed to hold hearings on this matter,” Inhofe said. “I believe this policy should be put on hold until the DoD thoroughly answers questions from Congress on how such a change will impact the readiness of our military.”
