NATION
Thursday, July 27, 2017
East Oregonian
Trump tweet: Bar transgender
from serving in U.S. military
WASHINGTON
(AP)
— President Donald Trump
abruptly declared a ban
Wednesday on transgender
troops serving anywhere in
the U.S. military, catching
the Pentagon flat-footed and
unable to explain what it
called Trump’s “guidance.”
His proclamation, on Twitter
rather than any formal
announcement, drew bipar-
tisan denunciations and threw
currently serving transgender
soldiers into limbo.
“Please be advised that the
United States Government
will not accept or allow Trans-
gender individuals to serve
in any capacity in the U.S.
Military,” the commander in
chief tweeted.
Trump wrote that he had
consulted with “my generals
and military experts,” but
he did not mention Defense
Secretary Jim Mattis, the
retired Marine general who
less than one month ago told
the military service chiefs
to spend another six months
weighing the costs and bene-
fits of allowing transgender
individuals to enlist. At the
time, Mattis said this “does
not presuppose the outcome
of the review,” but Trump’s
tweets appeared to have done
just that.
The Pentagon has refused
to release any data on the
number of transgender people
currently serving. A Rand
Corp. study has estimated
the number at between 1,320
and 6,630 out of 1.3 million
active-duty troops.
Criticism for Trump’s
action was immediate and
strong from both political
parties.
His action is “harmful,
misguided and weakens, not
strengthens our military,”
said Democratic Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand of New York.
John McCain, the Arizona
Republican and Vietnam War
hero, said Trump was simply
wrong.
“Any American who meets
current medical and readiness
standards should be allowed
AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File
In this 2008 file photo, the Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington.
“There is no reason
to force service
members who are
able to fight, train
and deploy to leave
the military —
regardless of their
gender identity.”
“It’s about time
that a decision is
made to restore
the warrior
culture and allow
the U.S. military
to get back to
business.”
— Sen. John McCain,
Arizona Republican and
Vietnam War hero
— Rep. Duncan Hunter,
member of the House Armed
Services Committee
to continue serving,” he said.
“There is no reason to force
service members who are able
to fight, train and deploy to
leave the military -- regardless
of their gender identity.”
Not everyone at the Capitol
agreed.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a
member of the House Armed
Services Committee, said,
“The president’s decision was
the absolute right decision. ...
It’s about time that a decision
is made to restore the warrior
culture and allow the U.S.
military to get back to busi-
ness.”
Transgender
people
already in uniform were
concerned about what comes
next.
“Everybody is hurt, every-
body is scared,” said Rudy
Akbarian, 26, who is in the
military but did not want to
identify his branch.
Akbarian, who said his
chain of command was
supportive as he transitioned
from female to male, said his
time to re-enlist is coming
up and he might stay to
ensure there is a strong voice
for transgender troops like
himself.
“I’m going to remain
hopeful,” he said. “America
is really progressive and
definitely smart, and there are
a lot of transgender members
serving in critical roles.”
Shane
Ortega,
a
30-year-old retired staff
sergeant in Los Angeles, said
he’s concerned more for civil-
ians than transgender troops.
Ortega, who transitioned
to male while serving in the
Army and served combat
tours in Iraq and Afghanistan,
said, “When Donald Trump
attacks what America calls
its heroes or its warrior class,
it means it’s only a matter of
time before he starts attacking
and disassembling the Amer-
ican public, and that’s what I
have the most fear of.”
Hours after Trump’s
tweets, Defense Secretary
Mattis, who has been on vaca-
tion this week, was publicly
silent and the Pentagon
referred all questions to the
White House.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a
Pentagon spokesman, said the
Pentagon was working with
the White House to “address
the new guidance” from
Trump. That suggested there
is not yet any new written
policy or executive order.
BRIEFLY
Trump donating
first-quarter
salary to education
WASHINGTON
(AP) — President Donald
Trump is donating three
months of his salary to the
Department of Education.
White House spokes-
woman Sarah Huckabee
Sanders says Trump chose
to give the department
$100,000. His first quarter
salary donation went to the
Department of Interior.
Education Secretary
Betsy DeVos says the
donation is being used
to pay for a science,
technology, engineering
and mathematics camp
sponsored by the depart-
ment.
As a candidate, Trump
had promised not to take
a salary. By law he must
be paid, so he is donating
the money. Taxpayers can
write off such donations,
potentially lowering their
income taxes.
DeVos says she is
grateful for the donation.
The Trump administra-
tion proposed a 13 percent
cut to the Education
Department’s budget
Trump announces
$10B Foxconn
plant in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON
(AP) — President Donald
Trump said Wednesday
that electronics giant
Foxconn will build a
$10 billion factory in
Wisconsin that’s expected
to create 3,000 jobs.
The announcement
comes at a critical juncture
for a Trump administration
that pledged to generate
manufacturing jobs but
has struggled to deliver
results as quickly as
the president promised.
Trump’s plans for health
care and tax cuts face
an uncertain future in
Congress, while his
administration is bogged
down by an investigation
into Russia’s possible
ties with his presidential
campaign.
The factory will
produce liquid-crystal
display panels that
are used in televisions
and computer screens,
according to a senior
White House official who
insisted on anonymity to
discuss the announcement.
Taiwan-based Foxconn
is perhaps best known for
assembling Apple iPhones
in China.
Law drawing
focus in Russia
probe rarely ends
in prosecution
WASHINGTON (AP)
— Criminal prosecutions
are rare for people who
fail to register as foreign
agents, according to a top
Justice Department official
who testified Wednesday
about an obscure law
receiving new attention
amid investigations into
contacts between the
Trump campaign and
Russia.
Adam Hickey, a deputy
assistant attorney general,
told Senate lawmakers
that the Foreign Agents
Registration Act — a
law aimed at ensuring
transparency about
lobbying efforts done
in the U.S. on behalf of
foreign governments or
principals — contains
multiple exemptions for
registration and requires
proof that someone
intended to break the
law by failing to disclose
their work. He said
lawyers in a specialized
Justice Department unit
often prod someone to
voluntarily register instead
of seeking to charge them.
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Page 7A
HONORED
to be a part of the community we serve
First-place winner
of the 2017 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s
General Excellence
Award
FIRST-PLACE AWARDS
E.J. Harris, Photographer: Best News Photo
E.J. Harris, Photographer: Best Sports Photo
Tim Trainor, Opinion Page Editor: Best Editorial
George Plaven, Reporter: Best Government Coverage
George Plaven, Reporter: Best Feature Story/Personality
Jade McDowell, Reporter: Best Spot-News Coverage
SECOND-PLACE AWARDS
Kathy Aney, Senior Reporter: Best Writing
Drew Langton, Page Designer & Night Editor: Best Headline Writing
E.J. Harris, Photographer: Best Multimedia Element
E.J. Harris, Photographer: Best News Photo
THIRD-PLACE AWARDS
Staff, 2016 Round-Up magazine: Best Special Section
George Plaven, Reporter: Best Coverage of Business & Economic Issues
Phil Wright, Senior Reporter: Best Lifestyle Coverage
E.J. Harris, Photographer: Best Photo Essay
E.J. Harris, Photographer: Best News Photo
Digital Team, Staff: Best Web Project
Pictured in the EO newsroom staff photo, L-R:
Front row: Kathy Aney, Tammy Malgesini, Renee Struthers, Kathryn Brown, Jade McDowell
Second row: Antonio Sierra, Tim Trainor, Daniel Wattenburger, Jayati Ramakrishnan, Drew Langton, Matt Entrup
Third row: Eric Singer, George Plaven • Top row: EJ Harris, Phil Wright