House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., promised Rep. Nancy Mace he would not allow he would not allow "biological men" to use women's bathrooms by adding a provision to the House Rules package, Punchbowl News reported Tuesday.
That reported pledge comes shortly after Mace introduced a bill Monday that would prevent Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., from using women's bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol. The bill specifically prohibits House members from "using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex."
McBride recently became the first openly trans woman elected to Congress.
Asked to confirm Punchbowl News' reporting, Johnson's office pointed Salon to his comments at press conference on Tuesday.
"There's a concern about the uses of restroom facilities and locker rooms and all that," Johnson told reporters. "This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before, and we're going to do that in deliberate fashion with member consensus on it, and we will accommodate the needs of every single person. That's all I'm going to say about that."
The House Speaker declined to confirm whether the would endorse Mace's bill, saying only: "We'll provide appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress."
Mace, meanwhile, is reserving the right to file his bathroom as a privileged resolution or amendment if she's unable to pass it as standalone legislation, Punchbowl reported.
The South Carolina Congresswoman didn’t try to hide her intentions behind the bill’s introduction, clarifying to reporters on Monday that she was targeting McBride, specifically.
“She doesn’t get a say, this is about real women and women's rights,” McBride said in a video shared by reporter Pablo Manriquez. “The far-left and the radical left they want to erase women and womens’ rights and I’m not going to let them.”
“If she was born a biological male, then she should use the mens’ restroom,” Mace added.
McBride won her state’s open House seat with 58% of the vote on Nov. 5, defeating Republican John Whalen III.
Though McBride seldom mentioned the historic nature of her campaign, her platform emphasized respect and inclusion for all people. She’s been a key advisor to President Joe Biden on LGBTQ+ policy and has also pushed for family leave and a higher minimum wage.
“This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing. We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars,” McBride wrote on X in response to Mace’s bill. “Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness."
Other Democrats have come to McBride’s defense.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told Axios that Mace’s bill is “plain bullying," while Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., described it as a distraction.
"I think we have a lot of problems in America, I don't think spending time worrying about the restrooms is an order of priority here. I think Nancy Mace should focus on other things," Morelle said.
