White House receives Mattis memo on transgender troops

WASHINGTON — The White House has received a memo from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis making recommendations for dealing with transgender individuals serving in the military.

Trump gave Mattis six months to develop proposals for transgender individuals currently serving. Officials are not revealing Mattis’ recommendations to the president. The Pentagon sent the memo to President Donald Trump by courier Friday. That from principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah.

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Mattis still mulling transgender guidance: ‘This is a complex issue’

Mattis was expected to send the White House guidance on whether transgender servicemembers would negatively affect readiness.

By Tara Copp, AP

Trump caught the Pentagon’s leadership off guard in a 2017 tweet when he declared he would reverse an Obama-era plan to allow transgender individuals to serve openly in the military. But that pronouncement has been blocked by several legal challenges, and the Pentagon began allowing transgender recruits to seek enlistment on Jan. 1. It’s not clear if any have actually been approved for enlistment.

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