House Republicans voted Thursday to overturn a Biden administration rule that strengthens federal anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, the latest GOP victory over changes made to Title IX, the civil rights law that bars sexual discrimination in schools and educational programs that receive government funding.
The Education Department in April unveiled a final set of sweeping changes to the decades-old law, including an expanded definition of sex discrimination that encompasses discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation — a provision that angered Republicans in Congress and in states from across the country.
House Republicans on Thursday passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the administration’s Title IX rule and revert to regulations implemented under former President Trump on a party-line vote of 210-205. Ten Republicans and eight Democrats did not vote.
However, an identical resolution is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, and the White House said this week that President Biden will veto the resolution if it reaches his desk. The Department of Education did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday’s vote.
Republicans have largely argued that the new rule would allow transgender women and girls to participate on girls’ school sports teams, although the Biden administration has not yet finalized a separate rule governing eligibility for athletics.
The proposal issued by the Department of Education last year would prohibit schools from enacting policies that categorically ban transgender student-athletes from sports teams that match their gender identity, although schools could still limit participation based on a specific set of criteria. The department delayed the rule last week, changing the proposal to “long-term action” without an approximate deadline.
“Biden’s Title IX rule will be the end of women’s sports,” said Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.), the lead sponsor of the disapproval resolution. “We must pray for a return to the Trump administration policies that protected our girls from these vile left-wing people and their agenda.”
House Democrats criticized the vote to roll back the new Title IX rule, which would also strengthen protections for pregnant students and parents and change how schools handle complaints of sexual harassment and assault.
“While Republicans claim this resolution is in the interest of women’s rights, the proposed solution will make the situation worse for female students,” said Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. “What overturning this rule does is exacerbate existing inequities, prevent any future administration from enacting a similar rule, and then place the blame solely on the LGBTQI+ community. It is short-sighted, petty and cruel.”
More than two dozen GOP-led states have sued over the new regulations, claiming they undermine the original intent of Title IX. Last month, federal judges sided with the states in three cases, blocking the administration’s rule from taking effect in 14 GOP-led states while the cases played out in court. The remaining states must still implement the changes by August 1st.
The administration’s rule is also blocked from taking effect at any school attended by a child of a member of Moms for Liberty, a conservative political group, and at any school attended by members of Young America’s Foundation, an organization for conservative youth.
Although Title IX is a federal law, each administration takes a different approach to enforcing its regulations, which schools must follow to receive federal funding. In May, former President Trump promised to reverse the Biden administration’s rule “on day one” of his presidency if he is re-elected in November.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
