Sherrill, Gottheimer face criticism for supporting Defense bill that targets gender-affirming care

An annual must-pass military authorization bill that included a controversial provision on transgender healthcare passed the House of Representatives earlier this week, and two New Jersey gubernatorial candidates are facing criticism for voting for the bill.

Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) and Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) voted for the National Defense Authorization Act, which this year contained a Republican-authored provision blocking gender-affirming care for children under 18 who are enrolled in the military’s healthcare program. Garden State Equality, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, thanked the five New Jersey Democratic representatives who voted against the $895 billion bill; Gottheimer and Sherrill were the only New Jersey Democrats to support it.

“Republican leadership’s weaponization of the NDAA by including this cruel attack on trans youth, and using our nation’s defense budget to target vulnerable communities is shameful,” Garden State Equality wrote in a post on X. “It’s equally shameful that 81 Democrats agreed that targeting trans youth wasn’t a dealbreaker.”

In a statement, Sherrill said she is “disgusted” by the provision limiting gender-affirming care for some youth, but said passing the bill before Republicans assume a trifecta in the federal government was important. The congresswoman, a former Navy helicopter pilot, said the GOP amendment on gender-affirming care “flies in the face” of the bipartisan NDAA process.

“Governing requires making tough choices with the options in front of you,” Sherrill said. “Had this bill failed, extremist House Republicans would simply have bided their time, coming back in January with a Trump-led government trifecta to use the NDAA to enact the whole slate of their dangerous agenda. This is only the first salvo in a fight to which I am extremely committed.”

The bill passed the House on Wednesday, 281-140. New Jersey’s three GOP congressmen voted in favor of the bill.

A spokesperson for Gottheimer did not immediately return a request for comment.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a gubernatorial candidate and former Marine, criticized Sherrill and Gottheimer for their votes.

“I am a veteran myself but support for the military should not be at the expense of the LGBTQ community (or any community). … If you are going to run a campaign that disregards the trans community bc pundits on TV say that Trump used the trans community as a successful tool against Harris then that speaks to your character Mikie/Josh, your lack of core beliefs/values,” Fulop said in posts on X.