Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) on Wednesday hotly debated expert witnesses who struggled to provide evidence that youth gender transition medicine is safe and effective in the long term.

Crenshaw questioned Dr. Meredithe McNamara, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, in relation to his new proposed provision removing federal funding from training hospitals that engage in gender transition medicine for minors, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgeries.

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Federal support for graduate medical education is reauthorized every five years, and this funding goes to 58 hospitals each year that train a significant portion of the nation’s pediatric physicians.

Crenshaw explained in Wednesday’s hearing that his resolution would remove federal dollars from facilities that perform these controversial treatment therapies in a similar manner as the Hyde Amendment removes funding for abortion procedures.

“This is taxpayer money, and when 70% of taxpayers opposed these barbaric treatments on minors, then taxpayers should not fund it,” Crenshaw said.

When Crenshaw questioned McNamara regarding evidence supporting the long-term safety and efficacy of gender transition medicine for minors, McNamara could not provide any concrete evidence, citing only accepted “standards of care.”

“Everything I’ve said here today comes from a place of deep honesty and conviction about the care that I provide and the community that I am a part of,” McNamara said.

Crenshaw responded by citing the British Medical Journal, the Journal of the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics in saying there is a lack of concrete data supporting the medical transition of minors. When McNamara continued to cite only convention, Crenshaw pressed further.

“‘The standards of care.’ That’s not a journal. That’s not a study. That’s not an organization. It’s not an institution. You’re just saying words. Name one study,” Crenshaw chided.

Crenshaw asked similar questions of another expert witness, child and adult psychologist Miriam Grossman, who said part of the reason for a lack of data and scientific debate on transgender medicine is the degree to which medical journals and associations have become politicized.

“Medicine is unfortunately permeated with politics at this point,” Grossman said. “Now, ideally, we wouldn’t be stepping in. Who wants the government stepping in between doctors and parents and children? ... But when there’s something that is so wrong that is going on, then I think we have to."

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Crenshaw called the issue of youth gender transition medicine “the issue of our time.”

“This is the hill we are going to die on. It is too important,” Crenshaw said.