On Thursday morning, the Republican Study Committee (RSC) will unveil its budget for the fiscal year 2023, titled a "Blueprint to Save America." Townhall received an exclusive first look at a portion of the budget to do with how the RSC looks to protect children from the woke transgender agenda, especially as such an agenda is being promoted by the Biden administration.
In the section titled "Opposing Federal Efforts to Redefine Gender and Protecting Conscience Rights," the budget notes that the "RSC Budget reaffirms our commitment to oppose federal efforts to redefine sex and gender, protect women, girls, and children, and secure conscience rights. We condemn the efforts of President Biden and Congressional Democrats to undermine these values."
Thus, the "budget would adopt the following legislation to push back on this attack from the Left," including the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL). In April, as I covered, RSC Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) filed a discharge petition in order to force a vote to take place on the House floor. As the budget explains, the bill would "prohibit the use of Title IX funds to support programs in which biological male athletes are allowed to participate against biological female athletes." As of Wednesday 185 members have signed on.
Also included is Rep. Mary Miller's (R-IL) Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act, which "would prevent the Biden administration from forcing schools to allow biological males in bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams with females," as the budget explains. The bill was introduced in February of last year.
The budget also makes mention of Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ)'s Women's Bill of Rights, which she introduced last month at an RSC press conference. Such a resolution "would express the need to preserve legal protections afforded to women by reaffirming that under federal law" by affirming that sex refers to the biological sex of an individual at birth, as well as that a woman refers to a biological female and a man refers to a biological male.
Rep. Lauren Boebert's (R-CO) Protecting our Kids from Harmful Research Act, is also included which was introduced last November as a companion bill to Sen. Mike Lee's (R-UT) bill and "would prohibit federal funding of sex-reassignment research on minors."
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) has two bills mentioned in this particular section, including the Protecting Children from Experimentation Act, "which would create a new criminal offense for performing gender reassignment treatment on minors along with a corresponding civil right of action for victims." This bill was introduced along with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) in March of last year. The other bill, the End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act, was introduced alongside the previously mentioned bill and "prohibits federal funding of gender reassignment surgeries and treatments."
There is also concern that this woke, trans agenda would affect veterans' services. Included in the RSC budget is also Rep. Jack Bergman's (R-MI) H.R. 5553, "which would prohibit the VA from providing or funding gender transition surgeries."
Such pieces of legislation have been introduced in the face of very real threats from the Biden administration and Democrats who seek to implement their transgender agenda, especially as it applies to minor children who cannot consent to life-altering transitions that may involve genital mutilation as well as sterilization.
The Biden administration has also insisted on biological males being able to play on girls' and women's sports teams, as Education Secretary Miguel Cardona made clear to Banks during a hearing last month. Cardona also refused to unequivocally say that schools should not be keeping secrets from parents as to if their children are going through gender transitions, which there is evidence of having happened, as Townhall has covered.
As Sarah reported last weekend, the Biden administration has even threatened to withhold funding for school lunch programs for those that won't comply with this dangerous agenda.
For the Biden administration, forcing pro-transgender policies on others goes hand in hand with doing when it comes to pro-abortion policies, as the Department of Health & Human Services is looking to get rid of conscience protection rules.
Republicans in Congress and at the state level, especially, though, have made it clear they aim to stand up to such radical agendas.
A popular legislative item for states to consider at this time are laws banning biological males from being able to play on girls' and women's sports teams. Louisiana recently became the 18th state to adopt such legislation.
The RSC also released a budget for fiscal year 2022, titled "Reclaiming Our Fiscal Future."