Since 2025, which family and gender rules changed, and which did courts block?
Research question: Which family and gender-related policy changes from the plan have federal agencies carried out since January 2025, and which have been blocked in court?
Federal agencies have carried out several changes, including Executive Order 14187 on not funding gender-affirming medical interventions for people under 19 329, and the June 2025 marketplace rule that bars individual and small group plans from covering sex-trait modification as an essential health benefit starting with Plan Year 2026 6. The Department of Labor formally rescinded its 2022 Section 188 interpretation on January 8, 2026 19, and the FDA 10, HUD 35, and ATF 36 have proposed rules that would replace gender terminology with sex, though these are not yet finalized. Courts have blocked a military ban on transgender service members 11 and vacated the gender-identity provisions of the 2024 Section 1557 rule on October 22, 2025 14, while the Supreme Court allowed the passport sex-marker policy to proceed while cases continued 26. The newest fact is dated August 13, 2026 4, roughly two months before October 2026, and the records do not show the current status of every challenge.
Sources
"Trump rolls back trans and gender-identity rights and takes aim at DEI"Project 2025
"stepping away from policies aimed at improving outcomes for nonwhite job candidates."Over Half of Project 2025 Now in Place, Heritage Foundation Says
"On January 28, 2025, President Trump issued E.O. 14187, Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation."Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2025-12-19)
"That letter was amended by letter 2015-01B, issued on August 15, 2025, which eliminated the age limit"Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-08-13)
"In addition, on January 31, 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued letter 2025-01A, which prohibited coverage of certain surgeries and hormone treatme"Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2025-12-19)
"which prohibits issuers of non-grandfathered individual and small group market health insurance coverage--that is, issuers of coverage subject to the essential health benefit (EHB) requirements--from providing coverage for ``specified sex-trait modification procedures'' as an EHB beginning with Plan Year 2026."Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-08-13)
"On January 20, 2025, the President issued E.O. 14168, ``Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,'' which, among other things, requires executive agencies to use the term ``sex'' and not ``gender'' when administering or enforcing sex-based distinctions, in all applicable Federal policies and documents."Modification of Certain Terminology in Title 21 (Health and Human Services Department, Food and Drug Administration, 2026-05-06)
"Executive Order: Protecting Children for Chemical and Surgical Mutilation"Project 2025
"On June 20, 2025, we issued the ``Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability,'' final rule (90 FR 27074)"Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2025-12-19)
"Specifically, this proposed rule, if finalized, will remove the term ``gender'' wherever it appears and either replace it with the term ``sex,'' or delete reference to gender, as applicable, along with other editorial changes to improve readability."Modification of Certain Terminology in Title 21 (Health and Human Services Department, Food and Drug Administration, 2026-05-06)
"US judge blocks Trump's ban on trans people serving in the military"Project 2025
"Letter Number 2025-01B, ``Subject: Chemical and Surgical Sex-Trait Modification Services for Plan Year 2026 Proposals,'' August 15, 2025"Medicaid Program; Prohibition on Federal Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program Funding for Sex-Rejecting Procedures Furnished to Children (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2025-12-19)
"Gender, hiring, foreign aid: 3 ways Project 2025 is turning up in Trump's actions"Project 2025
"Specifically, the court vacated certain provisions of the regulation to the extent they expand Title IX's definition of sex discrimination to include gender-identity discrimination."Notice of Vacatur Regarding Certain Provisions of the 2024 Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Final Rule (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-06-02)
"Accordingly, under this rule the Department of State will defend the rights of women and children, and protect freedom of conscience and national sovereignty, by requiring recipients of foreign assistance to comply with certain restrictions relating to gender ideology."Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance (State Department, 2026-01-27)
"The Department of Labor now rescinds this guidance because later court cases found that the term ``sex'', as it is used in the context of education funding in Title IX, does not include transgender status or gender identity"Notification of Rescission of the 2022 Interpretation of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Labor Department, 2026-01-08)
"OCR and CMS cannot and will not enforce the vacated provisions."Notice of Vacatur Regarding Certain Provisions of the 2024 Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Final Rule (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-06-02)
"Executive Order 14168 of January 20, 2025, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government"Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance (State Department, 2026-01-27)
"Accordingly, the Department rescinds the 2022 interpretation."Notification of Rescission of the 2022 Interpretation of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Labor Department, 2026-01-08)
"HHS exceeded its statutory authority when (1) it interpreted Title IX, as incorporated into Section 1557, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and (2) when it implemented Section 1557 regulations concerning gender identity and `gender affirming care.'"Notice of Vacatur Regarding Certain Provisions of the 2024 Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Final Rule (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-06-02)
"Executive Order 14190 of January 29, 2025, Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling"Combating Gender Ideology in Foreign Assistance (State Department, 2026-01-27)
"The other provisions of the Section 1557 Rule remain in force."Notice of Vacatur Regarding Certain Provisions of the 2024 Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Final Rule (Health and Human Services Department, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-06-02)
"Then, in April 2024, the Department of Education promulgated a comprehensive Title IX rule redefining prohibited ``discrimination on the basis of sex'' to include ``discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.''"Notification of Rescission of the 2022 Interpretation of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Labor Department, 2026-01-08)
"These courts found that the Department of Education's rule exceeded statutory authority because Title IX's text, history, and structure establish that ``sex'' refers to the biological distinction between male and female."Notification of Rescission of the 2022 Interpretation of Section 188 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Labor Department, 2026-01-08)
"On January 29, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued initial guidance to agencies regarding Executive Order 14168, including directions to end programs that "promote or reflect gender ideology" as defined by the order."Sexual and reproductive health policy of the second Trump administration
"described a sequence of district court injunctions and a Supreme Court order allowing implementation of the administration's passport sex-marker policy while cases continued."Sexual and reproductive health policy of the second Trump administration
"On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14168, titled ``Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.''"Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions (Housing and Urban Development Department, 2026-04-28)
"On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 14168, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government"Selecting Biological Sex on ATF Forms (Justice Department, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau, 2026-05-06)
"which stated a policy of not funding or supporting gender-affirming medical interventions for people under age 19 and directed agency actions to implement that policy to the extent permitted by law."Sexual and reproductive health policy of the second Trump administration
""US judge blocks Trump's ban on trans people serving in the"Persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration
"Section 4(b) of the Executive Order directs HUD to prepare rulemaking to rescind the 2016 Rule."Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions (Housing and Urban Development Department, 2026-04-28)
"ATF proposes a rule to resolve any potential confusion on how to fill out ATF forms."Selecting Biological Sex on ATF Forms (Justice Department, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau, 2026-05-06)
"In June 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that it put states and territories on notice to remove "gender ideology" content from certain federally funded sex-education materials and programs"Sexual and reproductive health policy of the second Trump administration
"Trump signs executive order to defund schools teaching CRT, 'radical gender ideology' "Persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration
"HUD has reconsidered the 2012 and 2016 Equal Access rules and is proposing that the definition of and all references to ``gender identity'' and ``gender'' be removed throughout HUD's regulations"Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions (Housing and Urban Development Department, 2026-04-28)
"The rule would make clear that ATF seeks biological sex, consistent with the ordinary meaning of the regulatory language."Selecting Biological Sex on ATF Forms (Justice Department, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau, 2026-05-06)
"Trump Signs Executive Order Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Gender Mutilation"Persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration
"This proposed rule would harmonize HUD's existing Equal Access regulations with the directions of the Executive Order"Equal Access to Housing in HUD Programs Revisions (Housing and Urban Development Department, 2026-04-28)
"US Air Force to deny retirement pay to transgender service members being separated from the service"Persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration
"Trump administration threatens to pull federal funding from sex ed programs that mention transgender people"Persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration
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