Judge Extends Block on Executive Order That Defunds Gender Change Procedures on Minors

Plaintiffs argue that the Trump administration is exceeding its authority by withholding funds already allocated by Congress.

The District Court of Maryland building in Rockville, Md., on Sept. 13, 2019. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

A federal judge in Maryland on March 4 extended a block on an executive order from President Donald Trump that would strip federal funding from organizations performing surgical or chemical procedures for transgender-identifying youth below the age of 19.

U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson had previously issued a temporary block on Trump’s executive order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” saying it placed “conditions on federal funding that Congress did not prescribe,” a phrase he repeated in his ruling on Tuesday.