Transgender troops will be allowed to continue to serve in the United States military pending a review, according to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Mattis’s Tuesday
announcement comes just days after President Donald Trump directed the military not to recruit transgender troops.
Mattis said the Department of Defense and Homeland Security will conduct a study on the issue. The secretary said that based on the results of the study, he will offer his advice to the president.
More than 140 House Democrats sent Trump a letter calling on him to reconsider his ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.
The lawmakers argued that there is no place for discrimination in the military or anywhere else in society. In the letter, they said enforcing the ban could mean discharging active duty soldiers, sailors, Marines and Air Force members who are serving honorably.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.