FOX First Report: The House Oversight Committee is investigating allegations that the Biden administration pressured an international medical advocacy group to lift age-restriction guidelines for transgender medical care.
“The Oversight and Accountability Committee is investigating allegations that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) engaged in political interference in the recommendations of third-party healthcare providers,” said a letter sent to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Tuesday.
“We are concerned that Department of Health and Human Services officials, in their official capacity, have exerted inappropriate pressure to change international pediatric care standards.”
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Rep. Lisa McClain's House Oversight Subcommittee is investigating allegations that staff members of Admiral Rachel Levin, a senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services, pressured medical professionals to lower the recommended age for sex-reassignment surgery. (Getty Images)
The letter was written by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), chairwoman of the Health Care and Financial Services Subcommittee. McClain cited a June 2024 New York Times report that the administration had pressured the World Professional Association of Transgender Medical Professionals (WPATH) to rescind its recommendation of an age limit for surgeries for transgender youth, citing concerns that it “could exacerbate growing political opposition to these procedures.”
According to the report, the pressure campaign was led by staff of Health and Human Services Under Secretary of Health Rachel Levin, who is a transgender woman.
“The agency exerted inappropriate pressure by seeking to remove the age limit for children and young people who can be recommended for irreversible sex reassignment surgery. The committee has requested documents and information from the Department of Health and Human Services to assist in its investigation of this matter,” McClain wrote.
“It is reprehensible that the Biden Administration is advocating for expanding the pool of vulnerable children who may be forced to undergo life-altering procedures they may later regret. Even more outrageous are emails indicating this advocacy was made for political gain, likely to satisfy extremists in the Biden base.”
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The letter was addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
The issue of transgender medical care, particularly for minors, has become a hot political topic in recent years.
Following backlash from the Times report, the White House announced that it does not support gender reassignment surgery for minors.
However, the White House later changed its stance after backlash from progressive groups, telling 19th News that while such surgeries “should be limited to adults,” “we continue to support gender affirming care for minors that represents a continuum of care, and respect the role of parents, families, and physicians in these decisions.”
The 2021 medical guidelines at the center of McClain's Tuesday letter initially recommended lowering the acceptable age for sex-changing hormone therapy to 14, the acceptable age for a mastectomy to 15, and the acceptable age for genital mutilation or hysterectomy to 17.
But those restrictions were removed from the final version of the recommendations, according to the Times.
According to the outlet, WPATH President Marci Bowers denied accusations that the changes were politically motivated, saying the “political motivations were already clear” and that the organization “does not take politics into account when making decisions.”
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Still, the subcommittee called on HHS to turn over all relevant documents and communications by Sept. 10 and warned the department not to obstruct the investigation.
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“Under your jurisdiction, HHS has not cooperated in good faith with the Committee's oversight of HHS and its subordinate agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” the letter to Becerra said.
“It is unacceptable for the Department of Health and Human Services to interfere with the congressional investigation by refusing or delaying cooperation with the committee's oversight.”
Fox News Digital reached out to HHS and the White House for comment but did not hear back by press time.
