The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in school sports by withholding federal funds.
Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., voted with her party against the bill, but said she does not supports trans athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
“As a former high school and college swimmer, I do not support transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports when fairness or safety is compromised,” she said in a statement following the vote.
The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 would prevent schools from allowing “biological males” to compete in school athletic programs for women or girls “by stating that sex in an athletic competition must be defined by genetics at birth, and withholding federal funding from schools that facilitate athletic programs where biological men compete against biological women,” according to a statement from Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
The bill first passed the House in 2023, but it failed in the then-Democrat controlled Senate.
Lee said that while she believes governing athletic bodies like the NCAA have been slow and inconsistent with updating their policies, she does not think it is the role of Congress to institute a nationwide ban for all ages, calling it “government overreach” that exposes girls and women to genital exams and would lead to attacks based on personal appearance.
“This is an extremely complicated issue that requires very serious deliberation and updated rulemaking by appropriate governing athletic bodies to address the portion of athletics where fairness or safety is an issue,” Lee said in the statement.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.