Defense Secretary James Mattis, breaking with President Trump, has formally recommended that transgender troops be allowed to serve in the U.S. military provided they can deploy overseas. A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News on Friday that Mattis made the recommendation to Trump. The official announcement about transgender policy is expected from the White House no later than March 23, according to officials. A separate official said Mattis’ recommendation would not violate those recent orders that declared Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military unlawful. In addition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had raised concerns about kicking out transgender troops who were already serving honorably.

Source: Fox News February 23, 2018 18:22 UTC