Magnolia State News

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., are among 22 Republican senators who issued a clear rebuke of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s proposed changes to Title IX and condemned the Biden administration’s plan to force schools to allow biological males to compete against females.

“This proposed rule uses weakly-associated case law and polarizing social concepts to broaden the definition of women and girls to include individuals who identify as women, and in so doing, the intent of the law is destroyed and women are marginalized yet again,” the senators wrote.

The senators submitted a comment to Secretary Cardona in response to his department’s proposed rule change, “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 public comment was led by U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and was also signed by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Ted Budd, R-N.C., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Katie Britt, R-Ala. 

Read the full public comment submitted by the senators here.

Wicker and Hyde-Smith in March also cosponsored the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (S.613) which would preserve Title IX protections for female athletes and protect fair, safe competition in women’s sports.

Original source can be found here