Trump-signed shutdown bill sends $4M to children's hospitals under federal probe for transgender care
In passing the $1.2 trillion megabill to end the government shutdown on Tuesday, lawmakers sent $4 million in funding to two children's hospitals that are currently under investigation by President...
By Fox News · Fox News
In passing the $1.2 trillion megabill to end the government shutdown on Tuesday, lawmakers sent $4 million in funding to two children's hospitals that are currently under investigation by President Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for their track record of providing transgender healthcare to minors. The allocations to the Seattle Children’s Hospital in Washington state and the Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago can be found in the $1.2 trillion package that funds several agencies, including HHS, that Trump signed into law on Tuesday, ending the latest partial government shutdown. The hospitals are part of several that the administration has put a spotlight on with HHS probes in Trump's bid to halt "chemical and surgical mutilation" against minors. The $4 million total in congressionally directed spending, Capitol Hill jargon for earmarks, was requested by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill. Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $3 million for the Seattle Children's Hospital, which did not respond to a request for comment on how the funding might be used. Murray told Fox News Digital that the funding was meant "to provide a safe and comfortable space for kids in crisis, kids who may seriously harm themselves or take their own life." "It has nothing to do with President Trump’s hateful crusade against transgender children," Murray said. "It’s disgusting to see a witch hunt against funding for a project that enjoys broad support from across the community — all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, understand that we need more investments to tackle the mental health crisis in this country." The remaining $1 million is slated for Lurie Children's Hospital, which paused its transgender care for minors amid the Trump administration's ongoing investigation. Durbin's office told Fox News Digital, "Senator Durbin is proud to have secured $1 million for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Ch…