Attorney General Ken Paxton has halted a Biden Administration rule that required foster care providers to affirm gender identity ideologies, which he argued violated state and federal law.
In September 2024, Paxton filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), its Secretary Xavier Becerra, and other members of the Biden-Harris Administration. The lawsuit aimed to stop a rule that linked federal funding for foster care programs to the acceptance of gender identity ideologies. According to Paxton, this rule would have compelled Title IV-E and Title IV-B agencies to ensure foster-care placements affirm a child's self-identified LGBTQI+ status. Non-compliance by state agencies could result in losing federal funding.
A federal district court ruled that HHS lacked statutory authority to enforce such a nationwide rule involving experimental treatments for children in foster care. The court granted Paxton's motion to prevent the rule from being implemented.
"This is a tremendous victory for Texas families, parental rights, and the rule of law," said Attorney General Paxton. "The Biden Administration had no authority to force radical gender ideology onto vulnerable children and demand compliance from foster care providers under threat of lost funding." He added, "I will always fight to protect our values and ensure that Texas children are not used as pawns in the federal government’s social experiments."