Johnson pressured by GOP firebrands on trans bathroom access
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024. Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing pressure from some of his most outspoken members to restrict transgender Rep-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.) from using women's bathrooms at the Capitol.
Why it matters: There is a brewing fight over whether Rep. Nancy Mace's (R-S.C.) bill to do just that will be included in the rules for the 119th House.
- Mace told Axios on Tuesday morning that Johnson "said to me last night that he would include it in House Rules."
- But Johnson stopped short of making that commitment at a press conference, telling reporters, "We're not going to address the plans on any of that."
What we're hearing: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) stood up in House Republicans' closed-door conference meeting Tuesday and vigorously rejected the notion of sharing a bathroom with McBride.
- Greene even went as far as to threaten to get into a "physical altercation" with McBride, according to two House Republicans who were present for her remarks.
- Johnson replied by reassuring Greene that the two will not have to share a bathroom, the members said.
- "If he is aggressively coming in our bathrooms then we should be able to defend ourselves," Greene told reporters when asked about her comments about a physical altercation, invoking the wrong gender.
What he's saying: "We don't look down upon anyone. We treat everybody with dignity and respect," Johnson told reporters.
- "We'll provide appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress."
The other side: Mace is a "huge attention getter, so this is part of her attention-getting fetish," said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), a newly elected co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.
- Frost added: "I just don't understand why bathrooms are top of mind for her, why she's thinking about where future members are going to piss and sh*t."
- McBride, in a statement Monday, called Mace's bill a "blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions."
- "We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars," she added.
What to watch: Mace could end up forcing a vote on her measure, which she had planned to do Monday before instead deciding to negotiate with GOP leadership.
- She told reporters on Monday that she would bring the resolution up again next year if it isn't included in the rules.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
