The Senate has rejected a contentious amendment that sought to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports, a move that thwarts a key priority of President Donald Trump amidst his push for sweeping voting legislation.
The vote occurred during a rare weekend session where senators were debating a comprehensive voting bill. This proposed legislation aims to implement stringent new requirements for voter registration and mandate photo identification at polling places, ostensibly to prevent undocumented individuals from casting ballots.
While the House of Representatives passed the core voting bill earlier this year, the Republican president has since insisted on incorporating additional measures. These include the now-blocked sports ban for transgender athletes and a complete prohibition on mail-in voting.
Despite the ongoing debate, Democrats are widely expected to ultimately block the broader voting legislation. Republican senators have consistently acknowledged that they do not have enough support to jettison the legislative filibuster, which requires a 60-vote threshold in the 100-member Senate, or to devise an alternative path for the bill’s passage. Republicans currently hold 53 seats.
Still, Republicans put the legislation on the Senate floor this week for a lengthy debate as Trump has said he will not sign other bills until they pass the voting measure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D, said Saturday morning that Republicans “haven’t made any final decisions about how to conclude this.”
“What we are trying to do is ensure that we are having a fulsome debate,” Thune said, and put everyone on the record “one way or the other.”
The amendment that was blocked by a 49-41 vote would penalize educational institutions that receive federal funding if they permitted individuals assigned male at birth to participate “in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.”
Trump also wants Congress to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors as part of the debate on the voting bill. It is unclear whether the Senate will hold a vote on that.
In addition, Trump has said he wants the House-passed bill to include a ban on most mail-in balloting. Trump has criticized mail in ballots for years and used it as a centerpiece of his efforts to overturn his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. A ban on mail ballots would face strong pushback from lawmakers.
