Under President Donald Trump’s order, the federal government will no longer use Medicaid funds to pay for harmful sex-rejecting procedures for minors. The new rule, finalized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is scheduled to take effect on October 13, 2026.

The CMS final rule eliminates all federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for gender interventions on children under 18 (under 19 for CHIP), such as puberty blockers, hormones, and irreversibly mutilating gender surgeries.

In a Truth Social post, President Trump wrote, “We are not going to pay for our innocent children to undergo these barbaric surgeries and practices, which result in unthinkable and irreversible harm to their young bodies.” 

The funding halt stems from President Trump’s January 2025 executive order, “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), CMS’ lead agency, to stop these harmful procedures on children.

CMS noted that a review of scientific research by the HHS found that sex-rejecting procedures on minors can cause irreversible damage, including infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density, altered brain development, and other lasting physiological effects. The research included the Cass Review from the United Kingdom, which concluded gender interventions do not improve a child’s mental health and yield “remarkably weak evidence” for positive outcomes.

“Children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions that pose serious risks and convey no proven benefits,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “By cutting off federal funds for these sex-rejecting procedures, we’re following the science, saving taxpayer dollars, and, most importantly, protecting children from potentially irreversible harm so they can truly flourish.” 

The rule includes a six-month transition period that allows federal funding to continue temporarily for minors currently undergoing puberty blockers and hormone treatments so they can safely wean off the drugs. 

CMS estimates the new funding policy will save federal and state governments a combined $235 million over the next 10 years.

The CMS rule only applies to federal dollars leaving each individual state to decide how to use its own funds. Currently, 27 states are protecting children with laws that ban sex-rejecting procedures, while 19 states specifically exclude sex-rejecting procedures for minors from state Medicaid coverage. 

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “We commend the Trump administration for protecting children by eliminating federal funding for these sex-rejecting procedures. Permanently mutilating children is never the solution, and taxpayers should never be forced to fund it. The medical profession needs to return to their Hippocratic Oath of ‘do no harm,’ and to treat mental health issues with counseling rather than sterilization and mutilation.”