Article snippet: President transgender individuals is supposed to go into effect Friday but it’s unclear if the White House will announce any new policy. Defense Secretary James Mattis sent his private recommendation to the White House a month ago but it hasn't been revealed. After the president's tweets, March 23 was the date set in the presidential memorandum submitted to the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In legalese, the memorandum states, "Sections 1(b) and 2(b) of this memorandum shall take effect on March 23, 2018." Section 1(b) directed DoD and DHS to revert to the policy toward transgender individuals prior to June 2016, when the Obama administration allowed transgender service members to serve openly for the first time. Section 2(b) halted DoD and DHS resources to fund "sex reassignment surgical procedures" for service members. But the timeline provided in the memo has not always been followed. Mattis was supposed to send his private recommendation to the White House Feb. 21, but actually sent it a few days later on Feb. 23. Defense officials have not said what it was. Since Trump's tweets, federal courts have rejected portions of the proposed ban. Most notably, beginning Jan. 1, the Pentagon complied with a court order that allowed transgender individuals to join the military if they met strict criteria, including certifications from a medical provider about the status of their health. Two transgende... Link to the full article to read more