Accusations of Biden admin 'interference' in transgender surgery guidelines for minors probed by House GOP

FIRST ON FOX: A House Oversight Committee panel is probing accusations that the Biden administration pressured a global medical recommendations body to drop age limit guidelines for transgender care.

"The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating allegations of political interference by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in third-party medical organization recommendations," a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra sent on Tuesday read.

"We are concerned that HHS officials, acting in their official capacity, inappropriately applied pressure for changes to international pediatric medical standards."

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The letter was written by Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., chair of the subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services. She cited a June 2024 New York Times report that the administration pressed the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to remove its age limit recommendations for transgender youth surgeries because it "could fuel growing political opposition to such treatments."

The pressure campaign was led by the staff of HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman, according to the report.

"Officials applied this inappropriate pressure by urging for the removal of age limits that expands the pool of children and adolescents recommended for irreversible gender transition surgical procedures. The Committee requests documents and information from HHS to assist our investigation of this matter," McClain wrote.

"The Biden Administration’s advocacy for expanding the pool of vulnerable children subjected to life-altering procedures they