Press Releases

As first reported by The Daily Signal, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) today hosted a lunch with former female athletes, outside stakeholders, and members of Congress in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day and to discuss how lawmakers can continue to advance policies that protect women’s sports. 

Lawmakers in attendance included Republican Women's Caucus Co-Chair Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Representatives Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), Erin Houchin (R-Ind.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), and Sheri Biggs (R-S.C.). 

Stakeholders from Independent Women and Concerned Women for America also attended the lunch.

Whip Emmer: “Under President Trump and House Republicans, the days of women’s sports being undermined by woke, unfair politics are over. For too long, hardworking female athletes had their titles stolen, their roster spots robbed, and, tragically, some even endured life-altering injuries—all in the name of a progressive ideology that denies basic biology. Republicans say ‘no more.’ We’ve gained a lot of ground in this fight, but we will not stop until every American girl has the opportunity to succeed in her sport.”

Congresswoman Kat Cammack: “As Chair of the House Republican Women’s Caucus, I’m proud to serve as a keynote speaker because this fight is about reality, not rhetoric. Women’s sports are under direct attack, and Congress cannot stay silent. I’m honored to be joined by leaders from the Independent Women’s Forum, Concerned Women for America, and former female student-athletes who’ve had their hard-earned opportunities stripped away. These women are living proof of what happens when common sense is ignored. Protecting women and girls in sports is non-negotiable. Keeping biological men out of women’s sports is a 90/10 issue with the American people, and we’re going to keep fighting until women’s sports are for women, period.”

May Mailman, Director of the Independent Women's Law Center and former White House Senior Advisor: "For decades, women and girls have gained hard-fought opportunities in sports -- which have made us healthier, more self-assured, and more resilient.  Protecting those opportunities against men asserting a right to eliminate girls' bodily privacy, safety, and fairness remains a critical issue.  I'm thankful for all the work that President Trump and Republicans in Congress, sadly without any Democrat support, have put in to ensure continual progress for women."

Payton McNabb, Independent Women Ambassador: “Women’s sports exist because women fought for the right to compete on equal footing. Protecting those spaces is about responsibility - to the athletes who came before us and the girls who will come after. I’m thankful for Whip Emmer’s leadership and for his commitment to ensuring women’s sports remain fair and protected.”

Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America: "This National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) is celebrating a year full of wins for female athletes thanks to Speaker Johnson and Whip Emmer’s leadership. We are so grateful for House leadership's diligent attention to this issue. As we celebrate the incredible progress we've made, Members of Congress have a perfect opportunity to bring home another win for women and girls: Congress must end its tacit stamp of approval for national governing bodies like the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, USA Volleyball, USA Fencing, and others that ignore biological reality and deny women and girls fairness, safety, and opportunity for the sake of gender ideology. Women and girls deserve permanent, statutory protection on fields, courts, tracks, and locker rooms—not temporary, patchwork policies. As we celebrate this historic National Girls and Women in Sports Day, CWALAC is excited to work with House leadership to continue shoring up protections for women and girls in sports."