President Donald Trump signed a $1.2 trillion megabill on February 4, 2026, averting a partial government shutdown while funneling $4 million in earmarks to two prominent children’s hospitals currently under federal scrutiny for providing transgender procedures to minors.
The allocations—$3 million to Seattle Children’s Hospital for a behavioral health stabilization unit and $1 million to Chicago’s Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital for a violence recovery program—were championed by Democratic Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), drawing sharp criticism from conservatives as wasteful spending propping up institutions engaged in controversial practices.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is aggressively probing these hospitals for chemical and surgical mutilation on children, aiming to restrict Medicare and Medicaid access. White House spokesman Kush Desai affirmed: “The American people gave President Trump a resounding mandate to restore common sense in America, and the Trump administration is exploring other tools to crack down on child mutilation procedures.”
Kennedy echoed: “Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk.” This funding clash exposes leftist priorities subsidizing radical gender ideology amid Trump’s crackdown on procedures harming vulnerable minors. As probes intensify, conservatives demand accountability to protect children from irreversible damage.