A long-sought Smithsonian museum honoring American women and their history has hit another roadblock after lawmakers fought over new language addressing who could be featured in the museum.
On Thursday, the House voted 216-204 to reject legislation sponsored by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. Every Democrat and four Republicans voted against the bill.
The bill was an effort to advance construction of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, a bill that Democrats previously supported. So, why did they vote against advancing it?
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Republicans add new language
Before the bill reached the House floor this week, Republicans added new language to the bill that opened a new front in the culture wars.
The bill that went to the full House declared the museum would be dedicated to “preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States.”
It went on to prohibit the institution from seeking to “identify, present, describe or otherwise depict any biological male as female.”
In other words, the museum would be barred from featuring transgender women.
“It’s disappointing that politics got in the way of a women’s history museum getting built,” Malliotakis said after the vote, “but, sadly, it’s a clear indication of just how polarizing Washington has become.”
Other lawmakers, including Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M, said the vote is a signal that lawmakers should “return to the original bipartisan version that honors the diverse contributions women made to this country.”
While Malliotakis’ version of the bill specified a site for the museum, it also gave President Donald Trump the authority to designate an “alternative site” within 180 days.
“They amended the bill to give Trump and his allies unregulated power over what content and which women can be included in the museum, and the museum’s location,” the Democratic Women’s Caucus said in a statement. “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”
The bill before language was changed
Before lawmakers changed the bill’s language, it had strong bipartisan support. In fact, NBC News reported that Republicans had grown frustrated with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for not bringing the bill to the House floor.
Republican support has held steady. However, a few GOP lawmakers expressed separate concerns, specifically about why the museum was needed and arguing that it would divide Americans into groups.
They claimed women are already represented across other Smithsonian museums, according to Politico.
A spokesperson for Leger Fernández said she is ready to work on bipartisan legislation to get construction of the museum moving, adding that Republicans “just need to come to the table.”
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