{"id":1005,"date":"2026-07-16T08:11:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T08:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1005"},"modified":"2026-07-16T08:11:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T08:11:29","slug":"hegseth-wants-to-use-your-taxes-to-screen-for-low-t-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1005","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth Wants to Use Your Taxes to Screen for Low-T Troops"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hegseth<\/div>

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\n\tOn Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> posted a video on X titled, I kid you not, \u201cThe High-T Department of War.\u201d The former Fox News host announced that the government will be implementing an annual screening program for \u201ctestosterone deficiency\u201d among troops over the age of 30. Those under the age of 30 can voluntarily choose to be tested as well.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis initiative-it\u2019s not about artificial enhancement; it\u2019s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight,\u201d Hegseth insisted. For those who are recommended for the treatment, they may choose to receive testosterone replacement therapy.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Hegseth referred to all service members, or \u201celite warriors,\u201d in his video, there are no F.D.A.-approved testosterone treatments for women. Screening for estrogen-based therapy among female service members \u2014 which could be helpful for those experiencing perimenopause and menopause, for example \u2014 was not mentioned in Hegseth\u2019s poorly lit clip. <\/p>\n

\n\tWhen asked what scientific research and studies supported the blanket policy move, the Pentagon<\/a> referred to a statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnel, which echoed much of Hegseth\u2019s announcement. Parnel said the annual screening for testosterone deficiency would be effective immediately and \u201ccomplements the efforts outlined in the \u2018Warfighter Performance Optimization \u2013 Total Force Fitness\u2019 memorandum.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tAs men age, testosterone levels naturally decline and can contribute<\/a> to a drop in libido, erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass and bone strength, decreased energy, disturbed sleep, and low mood. While obesity and diabetes are often linked to clinically low testosterone levels, a host of other factors<\/a> can also play a factor, including physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, chronic stress, poor sleep, and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals or other environmental stressors.<\/p>\n

\n\tLifestyle-based strategies such as weight loss, dietary changes, and stress management are generally recommended by professionsal as first-line treatments. Currently, FDA-approved testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) products are only for men with clinically confirmed hypogonadism, a medical condition that causes severely low testosterone.<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tHealth Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration officials are pushing for policies that will make it easier for doctors to prescribe testosterone. In June, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed removing restrictions on TRT, revising warnings about prostate cancer risk, and updating safety information.<\/p>\n

\n\tKennedy has called declining testosterone levels worldwide over recent decades an \u201cexistential\u201d crisis to humanity and has touted TRT as an \u201canti-aging protocol.\u201d According to The New York Times<\/a><\/em>, many influencers in the so-called manosphere amplify the message that being \u201clow T\u201d is synonymous with low status, weakness, and sexual inadequacy. (Unsurprisingly, many influencers often profit off online links to TRT clinics.)<\/p>\n

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\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, as the Trump administration is intent on getting testosterone replacement therapy to troops, Hegseth has previously declared he does not believe women should serve in combat roles<\/a> and that all combat roles will be based on the \u201chighest male standard<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHegseth has also blocked the promotions<\/a> of seven senior Navy officers, five of whom are women or people of color, to two-star admiral rank \u2014 which would mark the first time in more than a decade that no female active-duty naval officers are likely to be promoted to admiral this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video on X titled, I kid you not, \u201cThe High-T Department of War.\u201d The former Fox News host announced that the government will be implementing an annual screening program for \u201ctestosterone deficiency\u201d among troops over the age of 30. Those under the age of 30 can voluntarily…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/pete-hegseth-gender-affirming-care.jpg?w=1600&h=900&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[2064,2067,2066,2065,2068],"class_list":["post-1005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-hegseth","tag-lowt","tag-screen","tag-taxes","tag-troops"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}