Washington, D.C. – Democratic leaders are expressing outrage over President Donald Trump’s plans to remove a small number of transgender soldiers from the military.
The outrage is nothing short of blatant hypocrisy, highlighting how the same Biden administration oversaw the discharge of thousands of career military and combat veterans for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine during its mandate.
In 2021, the Department of Defense implemented a strict COVID-19 vaccination policy, requiring all service members to be vaccinated or face separation.
By late 2023, reports indicated that over 8,000 service members—many of them seasoned veterans with decades of service and combat experience—were discharged for non-compliance.
The policy, which was rescinded in January 2023 following significant pushback, left a lasting impact on military readiness and morale.
A memorandum from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, dated April 23, 2025, acknowledged the “unfair, overboard, and completely unnecessary burden” the mandate placed on service members, noting that the discharges were “unlawful as implemented.”
The memo, referencing Executive Order 14184 issued by President Biden on January 27, 2025, outlined corrective measures, including reinstatement eligibility and backpay for those discharged solely for refusing the vaccine.
Veterans advocacy groups have since criticized the Biden administration for its handling of the situation, arguing that the discharges disproportionately affected career soldiers who had served in multiple deployments, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“These were not just soldiers—they were leaders, mentors, and heroes who gave everything for their country,” said John Carter, a retired Army colonel and advocate for affected veterans. “To throw them out over a vaccine mandate while ignoring their years of service was a betrayal.”
Now, Trump seeks to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, a policy he initially implemented in 2017 before it was reversed by Biden in 2021.
Sources suggest that Trump’s plan could affect a few hundred transgender soldiers currently serving.
Democrats have universally condemned the move, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it “a discriminatory attack on brave service members who are willing to risk their lives for our country.”
Schumer cheered former President Biden’s mandate to end the careers of thousands of American heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Democratic response has sparked accusations of selective outrage.
Republican lawmakers and military advocacy groups have pointed to the Biden administration’s own record, noting the irony of defending a small group of transgender soldiers while having overseen the mass discharge of veterans over the vaccine mandate.
“Where was this concern for ‘brave service members’ when thousands of combat veterans were kicked out for exercising their medical freedom?” asked Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), a former Navy SEAL. “This is about politics, not principle.”