WASHINGTON – Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), joined by 17 Committee Members, sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona objecting to the agency’s proposed rule, “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams.” This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) undermines women’s equality in athletics by reinforcing the Biden administration’s anti-science gender ideology and its intentional perversion of the plain meaning of “sex” under Title IX.
In the letter, the Members write: “The Left’s blatant and deliberate attempts to redefine our sons’ and daughters’ identities by questioning biology itself has already done significant harm to our children and society, and it will do even more harm if this NPRM is finalized.”
The Members continue: “While you have argued that this NPRM represents a sensible middle ground, it in fact imposes an extreme position which defies the will of the people. This rule will upend the laws 21 states have on the books protecting women’s sports. … The question is clear: does the Department believes women’s athletic opportunities should be protected or not? This proposed rule gives us a clear answer: this administration has no interest in protecting women’s sports.”
The Members conclude: “Since Title IX was enacted 50 years ago, female participation in sports has increased 1,057 percent at the high school level and 614 percent at the postsecondary level. Title IX was designed to combat discrimination against women, and it has succeeded. The proposed rule will force women’s sports to accept the participation of men, cruelly using a groundbreaking antidiscrimination statute to discriminate against the very people it was designed to protect.”
The letter is signed by: Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Bob Good (R-VA), Lisa McClain (R-MI), Mary E. Miller (R-IL), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Julia Letlow (R-LA), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Eric Burlison (R-MO), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Brandon Williams (R-NY), and Erin Houchin (R-IN).
To read the full letter, click here.
Background:
On April 20, 2023, House Republicans passed H.R. 734, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, which amends Title IX to protect the law’s intent and the integrity of women’s athletics.
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