Left: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). Right: U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes appears during her June 2022 confirmation hearing (U.S. Senate/YouTube).
A federal judge is pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for an explanation after the Pentagon said it would make “testosterone replacement therapy” available to service members who want it.
The demand for answers surfaced in a long-running lawsuit filed by Nicolas Talbott and seven other plaintiffs challenging the Trump administration’s restrictions on transgender troops. The case argues that the ban on transgender military service — along with limits on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members — violates due process by discriminating against people “based on their sex.”
On July 15, Hegseth said that troops with low testosterone would be able to receive testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, on a voluntary basis. The Defense Department described the treatment as part of service members’ “periodic health assessments.”
In addition to written arguments from both sides, the court also invited the parties to submit “expert declaration(s) addressing these issues.”
U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes’ order highlights what appears to be a stark tension between the administration’s transgender service member policy and the Pentagon’s newly announced voluntary hormone therapy program.
The Trump administration has repeatedly framed part of its objection to transgender service members around the ongoing medical care some may seek, particularly hormone treatment. Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has maintained that “no funds from the Department of Defense will be used to pay for Service members’ unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with…newly initiated cross-sex hormone therapy.”
Yet the government is now preparing to provide hormone therapy to some troops as a routine option, presenting the initiative as a measure that could support military readiness and combat effectiveness.
Also on Wednesday, Reyes set a briefing schedule for the case.
Briefs are due Aug. 7, discovery requests are due Aug. 14, expert reports are due Sept. 4, and all responses and replies are due by Sept. 25. Discovery is expected to close Oct. 16, with summary judgment motions due Nov. 13 and responses due Dec. 14.
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