WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Senate colleagues in filing a public comment opposing the Department of Education proposed rule to expand Title IX to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports.

The senators stated: “We strongly oppose the proposed rule entitled ‘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.’”

The senators blasted the department for: “leaving women at a complete disadvantage in activities specifically meant for them.”

The letter made clear: “The Department must consider the resulting real-life inherent costs—the cost of lost opportunities for girls in academic settings. By expanding the pool of protected individuals and creating mass uncertainty at each individual school and school district, it stands to reason that biological girls will ultimately lose scholarship and athletic opportunities designated for them under the original intent of Title IX.”

The senators called on the department to: “Rather than expanding the definition of Title IX to fit the current progressive agenda, the administration should support Congress in strengthening its congressional intent and reinforce the protections Title IX afforded women and girls when it was first enacted in 1972.”

Senators Johnson and Tuberville are joined on this comment by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho.), and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tedd Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.).

Full text of the comment can be found here.

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