Trump Administration Halts Funds for Minor Gender Procedures; Marriage Fraud Ring Charged

The Trump administration announced that the Department of Health and Human Services will block taxpayer‑funded health programs from covering gender transition surgeries and cross‑sex hormones for minors. In the same week, former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman, who had been detained in Russia since 2022, returned to the United States and was reunited with his mother before leaving the aircraft.

Separately, federal prosecutors charged eleven individuals with operating a long‑running marriage fraud ring. According to the indictment, the scheme arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages over a decade, with some participants paying as much as $100,000 per fraudulent union to help foreign nationals, mainly Chinese citizens, obtain U.S. immigration status. Authorities said the network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026, spanning multiple states and reaching Vanuatu and China. Each defendant faces charges that carry maximum sentences of five and ten years in prison.