Illegal immigrant gender surgeries blocked from taxpayer funding under new GOP bill

FIRST ON FOX: A new House GOP-led bill is being introduced to block federal dollars from paying for gender reassignment surgery for illegal immigrants.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced legislation called the Stopping Transgender Operation Payments and Wacky Expenses for Illegal Residents and Detainees (STOP WEIRD) Act on Thursday, and it is backed by at least five other House Republicans.

"Kamala could implement her weird and disgusting plan today, or in the very unlikely case of a Harris-Walz administration," Steube told Fox News Digital. 

"Congress has the responsibility to safeguard taxpayer dollars from funding transition surgeries for illegal immigrants – I can think of a million things that are a better use of taxpayer dollars – for one, our veterans who fight for months, and sometimes years, to get the medical care they earned through service to our country."

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It is part of the House GOP majority’s increased scrutiny of Vice President Kamala Harris and her policy platforms since the vice president became the Democrats’ 2024 White House nominee in late July.

Harris signaled support for federal dollars going toward transgender surgeries for detained illegal immigrants and U.S. prisoners in a recently resurfaced American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) questionnaire from 2019.

The then-junior California senator filled it out alongside other 2020 presidential primary hopefuls.

It has earned her aggressive blowback from GOP critics who say it is proof that Harris is not the moderate she is styling herself to be during her campaign.

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Former President Donald Trump called Harris out over the questionnaire during their tense head-to-head on ABC News on Tuesday.

"Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison," Trump said during the debate. "This is a radical left liberal that would do this."

The questionnaire said, "As President, will you use your executive authority to ensure that transgender and nonbinary people who rely on the state for medical care — including those in prison and immigration detention — will have access to comprehensive treatment associated with gender transition, including all necessary surgical care? If yes, how will you do so?"

Harris responded, "It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition."

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"I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained. Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment," she added. 

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When asked about her answers by Fox News Digital, a Harris campaign adviser responded, "The Vice President’s positions have been shaped by three years of effective governance as part of the Biden-Harris Administration."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on the bill.

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.