Donald Trump Could Cover Annual Medical Costs For Transgender Military Members By Skipping One Mar-A-Lago Trip
When Donald Trump initially banned transgender members from serving in the U.S. military last year, he cited what he called “tremendous” medical costs these members created.
But a 2016 RAND study showed that the true medical costs for transgender military members is only a minuscule portion of the entire Defense Department’s annual health care expenditures — so small that Donald Trump could save enough to cover the entire annual cost if he would skip just one of his nearly weekly visits to his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The argument has come back to light after Donald Trump moved this week to ban certain transgender military members from serving. After issuing a blanket ban on all transgender troops last year that was held up in federal court, Trump issued a new memorandum that claims “transgender persons who require or have undergone gender transition” cannot serve, the BBC reported.
Trump’s original ban was blocked by federal judges, and the new one is more focused on service members who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria. It mentions explicitly individuals who “may require substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgery.”
But as previous research shows, those costs are actually quite small compared to overall medical expenditures. The RAND study found that the military budget would increase by between $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year if it covered the entire estimated 1,320 to 6,630 transgender people serving in the U.S. military, Fortune noted. That would represent roughly 0.005 percent to 0.017 percent of overall health care costs for the U.S. military, the study added.
That total also represents the annual weekend cost for Donald Trump’s travel (and golf) at his resort in Mar-a-Lago. Spending watchdog groups have estimated that these weekend trips cost taxpayers as much as $3 million, The Associated Press noted. At the high end, that would mean Trump skipping three straight weekends at Mar-a-Lago to cover the cost for transgender military members to serve. Trump has made more than 135 visits to his properties during his presidency, NBC News found.
President Trump is at Mar-a-Lago, marking his 135th visit to a Trump property since taking office pic.twitter.com/oCBAOUevOO
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 23, 2018
This morning’s view of Mar-a-Lago. No word yet on @realDonaldTrump’s plans, but weather would accommodate golf. #TrumpInPalmBeach pic.twitter.com/aSZCnVNWmD
— George Bennett (@gbennettpost) March 24, 2018
That was exactly where Donald Trump was headed one day after announcing the new ban on transgender military members. Trump departed for Mar-a-Lago on Friday evening, just hours after the new ban was announced. On Saturday morning Trump left for the golf course, the 101st golf trip of his presidency.
