House Democrats withdrew support for legislation advancing the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Museum after Republicans added language defining the museum’s focus around biological women.
The House voted 216-204 Thursday to reject the amended bill, ending what had previously been a bipartisan push to move the long-planned museum closer to construction.
The legislation was introduced in February 2025 by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and at one point had more than 230 bipartisan cosponsors. But the bill lost Democratic backing after Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., added an amendment limiting how the museum could present sex and gender, according to The Daily Caller.
The amended language states: “The Museum may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as female.”
The bill also says the museum would be “dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States.” It further directs the museum’s exhibits and programs to reflect the “diversity of the political viewpoints and authentic experiences” of American women.
The Committee on House Administration advanced the amended bill in March on a 7-4 party-line vote, with Democrats opposing the measure after the Miller amendment was adopted.
Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., who has publicly identified herself as the mother of a transgender daughter, was reportedly involved in discussions over the legislation with Malliotakis and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus announced its opposition Monday, saying Republicans had abandoned a bipartisan agreement.
“For years, we worked with Republicans on a bipartisan bill to get the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum across the finish line … But then with no warning, Republicans completely changed the bill, throwing away years of bipartisan work and broad support,” Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., and Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, said in a joint statement.
The Democratic lawmakers argued that the amended bill gives “Trump and his allies unregulated power over what content and which women can be included in the museum, and the museum’s location.”
They added: “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”
The amendment does not name any specific individuals or groups. Its central restriction is the prohibition on depicting biological males as female.
President Donald Trump had supported the legislation before the amendment and committee vote.
The dispute marks the latest example of how Democrats will place transgenderism over any other political issue of the day.
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