Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held a briefing on Wednesday and addressed the need for congressional action on the issue of men in women’s sports.
When asked by Sage Steele whether the President Trump would urge Congress to pass a law banning biological males from competing against women, Leavitt confirmed it was a top priority for the administration.
On Wednesday, President Trump signed a historic executive order to protect female athletes from being forced to compete against biological males.
Steele pointed out that, while the executive order is a huge step, further action is necessary to ensure a future administration cannot undo the progress made under President Trump.
The House of Representatives has passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act but the Senate has not voted on the measure.
“We all know executive orders can be overturned,” said Steele. “I’m wondering how important it is to the President to get Congress to pass legislation so there are no instances like with the past administration that really tried to destroy Title IX.”
“It’s incredibly important that Congress immediately acts on this priority,” said Leavitt. “I think the President is really setting the tone, making this a very immediate priority for this administration, just as he promised to do on the campaign trail.”
Leavitt stressed that the executive order signed by Trump would uphold protections of Title IX and require immediate action against schools that deny women single-sex spaces such as restroom and locker rooms.
She also pointed out the political mandate that exists for instituting these protections for female athletes.
“This is a wildly popular position with the American people,” Leavitt said. “There was a new poll recently that showed the overwhelming majority of Democrats also support keeping biological men out of women’s sports.”
