Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, accused House Republicans of being "obsessed with trans people" as lawmakers prepared to vote on bills that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors and criminalize providers. One GOP proposal from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene would make offering puberty blockers or hormone therapy to transgender youth a felony and could expose parents or facilitators to criminal charges. Civil-rights organizations including the ACLU have condemned the bill as among the most extreme anti-trans measures proposed in Congress, while a separate bill from Rep. Dan Crenshaw would bar federal Medicaid funding for transition-related procedures for minors.
Sarah McBride: Republicans 'Obsessed With Trans People' as Congress Prepares Votes on Youth Gender-Care Bills
Rep. Sarah McBride at the US Capitol on November 18, 2025. - Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images/File
Rep. Sarah McBride on Wednesday accused House Republicans of being "obsessed with trans people" as lawmakers prepared to vote on measures that would curb access to gender-affirming care for minors and impose criminal penalties on clinicians and others who help provide it.
"I actually think they think more about trans people than trans people think about trans people," McBride — the first openly transgender member of Congress — told reporters. "They are consumed with this, and they are extreme on it."
What the Bills Would Do
One proposal, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), would amend federal law to make it a felony for health-care providers to offer gender-affirming treatments to transgender minors, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers. The measure would also allow for criminal penalties against adults who facilitate such care for minors, potentially including parents or guardians.
A separate bill from Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) would prohibit federal Medicaid funds from being used for what the bill describes as "gender transition procedures for minors."
Context And Reactions
Republican leaders and the Trump administration have taken multiple actions that critics say seek to limit the visibility and access to services for transgender people — including directing the removal of transgender troops from the military, removing references to transgender people from some federal materials, excluding them from selected hate-crime surveys, and pursuing restrictions on transgender youth participation in school sports.
Transgender people comprise a small portion of the U.S. population: the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimates they make up roughly 0.6% of people aged 13 and older.
Civil-rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have condemned Greene's bill. The ACLU called it "the most extreme anti-trans legislation ever considered by Congress," arguing the measure would criminalize accepted medical practices and penalize families seeking care.
"No one’s health care should be politicized," McBride said, stressing that decisions about medical care should be made by patients, families, and clinicians — not politicians.
CNN's Alison Main contributed to reporting on this story.
