The U.S. Senate failed to advance U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Auburn) Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on Monday after the body could not garner enough support to cloture debate and proceed to a final vote.
The legislation would define a person's sex based on their biological sex at birth when applying Title IX code, the sweeping name given to civil rights legislation prohibiting sex-based education discrimination. It would also remove federal funding from schools that allow biological men in female-only spaces.
Tuberville's bill does the same thing as President Donald Trump's Keeping Men Out of Women Sports executive order. However, Tuberville warned that the order would only last as long as Trump is in office, highlighting the need to codify it into law.
Tuberville spoke on the Senate floor Monday, which was presided over by fellow Alabama U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery). He highlighted his efforts to advance the bill over numerous years.
"Third times the charm," Tuberville said. "This is the third time that I've had a vote on this bill. The other two times has failed because we have had almost zero Democrats help to support women and girls in sports. Over the past four years, women's sports at all levels has been under attack. Since the beginning of time, people have agreed that sex is assigned at birth and determined by god. But under [the] Biden administration, you had people claiming that men can get pregnant; pure absolute insanity."
"But it didn't stop there. They weren't content just to erase gender norms that have been accepted for thousands of years, no. They wanted to allow transgender men to participate in women's and girls' sports. This has been happening at schools all across our country. We have women's teams in some states that are all boys. Young women have been forced to compete against men and even share locker rooms and shower time. And, on top of that, your tax dollars are paying for it."
After Tuberville's remarks and a floor vote on Linda McMahon for Education Secretary, 17 Senators brought the motion to cloture debate on Tuberville's bill.
The final vote was 51-45 along party lines in favor of cloture, missing the three-fifths majority needed to pass.
Following the vote, Tuberville announced his displeasure and vowed to continue working to pass the bill.
Well, at least now the American people know the truth.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) March 4, 2025
Even after @realdonaldtrump’s landslide election, Democrats STILL support men competing in women’s sports.
This is far from over. I’ll NEVER stop fighting to protect women and girls.
Britt, who voted in favor, revoiced her support for the bill and lamented the results after the failed cloture motion.
"Today, I was proud to vote for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would codify President Trump's recent executive order," Britt said. "For decades, Title IX has been instrumental to provide female student-athletes, like my daughter, the opportunity to compete fairly, gain leadership skills, and build their confidence. I am disappointed that the Senate failed to move forward on this commonsense bill. I will continue to fight to provide girls and women the opportunity to compete safely in sports for generations to come."
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