Rep. Burgess Owens questioned Education Secretary Miguel Cardona regarding the inaction of the Department of Education regarding the nationwide movement of pro-Palestinian student protests on college campuses and the Department’s decision to outlaw gender-separated facilities.
The House Education and Workforce Committee invited Cardona to testify on Tuesday, during Teacher Appreciation Week.
During the hearing, he was also required to respond to inquiries regarding the botched implementation of updates to the federal student aid program.
Owens posed incisive inquiries to Cardona concerning the modifications implemented under Title IX by the Biden administration, which expand the definition of “sex-based discrimination” to encompass sexual orientation and gender identity, with the intention of bolstering protections for LGBTQ+ students.
The alterations are scheduled to be implemented on August 1.
“Can you assure us that your rules do not change protections that our girls have had for over 50 years? Can you assure us that protecting biological girls from competing against genetically stronger, bigger and faster biological men will not be considered federal discrimination?” Owens asked.
The secretary declined to provide an answer, stating that the rule had not yet been established. However, Owens persisted in demanding Cardona.
“Mr. Secretary, you are in a very unique position to impact the lives, futures and fortunes of millions of female athletes. Americans on both sides of this debate need to know how deep your commitment is. If your daughter was reporting she felt uncomfortable in a boy’s presence in a bathroom or locker room, would that be considered by the administration discrimination or bigotry?” Owens continued.
This is how you win the Great American Culture Wars.
Very well done, @RepBurgessOwens!!
👏 👏 👏 https://t.co/jeYJ4XENnA
— Terry Schilling 🇺🇸 (@Schilling1776) May 8, 2024
Late last month, conservative advocacy groups initiated legal proceedings in an effort to obstruct the Title IX rule change that the Biden White House had proposed.
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