A White House executive order last week threatened to pull federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care. But not providing the care could violate state law, Letitia James said in a letter on Monday.

The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has warned New York hospitals that complying with the White House’s executive order to end gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth could well violate state law.

The letter, which the attorney general’s office sent Monday morning to health care providers and other organizations, puts hospitals at the center of a conflict between the federal government and state authorities.

Last week, the White House issued an executive order that threatened to withhold federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming treatments — including puberty blockers and hormone treatments — to transgender youth under the age of 19. Within days, NYU Langone Health, a leading New York City hospital, began canceling appointments for some children, according to two families who spoke to The New York Times.

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