“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue.”
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined “America Reports” on Fox to discuss tonight’s Senate vote on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, his legislation to permanently codify Title IX protections.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed Senator Tuberville’s legislation on a 218-206 bipartisan vote.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s interview can be found below, and the full interview can be found on YouTube or Rumble.
ROBERTS: “The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act gets a vote on the Senate floor later on today. This bill would set a stronger precedent to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports, and states who don’t comply would face consequences. At least seven Democrats will need to get on board for it to pass a filibuster. Let’s bring in Senator Tommy Tuberville, the Alabama senator who introduced the bill. So do you have seven Democrats out there who care enough about protecting women in sports to join with Republicans?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well John, I would hope so, but it’s a heavy lift. This is the third time—third time I’ve had it on the floor. I’ve gotten one Democrat vote—that was Joe Manchin—obviously, he’s gone, but we’re getting to a point now where women and girls’ sports are getting ready to be extinct. […] Hopefully, we can get something done today, but President Trump’s Executive Order is only going to last John, four years. After that, it’ll probably go the other way. ”
ROBERTS: “Yep. So, here’s where the American people stand on this issue according to a recent New York Times/ Ipsos poll. Seventy-nine percent of all Americans believe that transgender athletes should not be allowed in women’s sports. Ninety-four percent of Republicans believe that, 67 percent of Democrats. So, the tide would seem to be in your favor.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, you’d think so, but when you have the Democratic party believe that men can get pregnant, you know you’ve got problems. And it’s such a gender—attack on gender up here, John. […]”
ROBERTS: “Yeah, so Riley Gaines really illuminated what’s going on here with her support for the bill. She said, ‘With the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act now being heard on the Senate floor, we’re one step closer to ensuring that women no longer lose trophies, roster spots, playing time, scholarships, or fair competition to men in their own sport.’ This really is a one-way street. We don’t hear a lot about biological women going into men’s sports and blowing away the competition. This is all about biological men going into women’s sports, taking spots from women, taking championships from women, and not allowing women who have spent their entire lives trying to compete for these top prizes to really do what they’re trained to do.”
TUBERVILLE: “And I talk to Democrats, John, and I say, ‘What do you not understand here?’ and they say, ‘Well, it’s gotta be fair.’ Wait a minute—fair? You’re gonna do away with women’s sports is what you’re going to do. […] President Trump did this Executive Order and people are defying it already. NCAA says, ‘We’re not going to let them compete, but we’re gonna let them practice, in dressing rooms, and shower with girls. NCAA has lost their damn mind. We have to get back to common sense in this country, especially when it comes to something like this because this will grow year, and year, and year out, and we have to do something for the women and girls in sports, and give them a chance to learn leadership and time restraint, work ethic and all those things. […]”
ROBERTS: “Yeah, so we talked about the tide being with you in terms of where the American public opinion is. Janet Mills, who is the Maine governor, continues to swim against that tide. She had the dust-up with the President last week. Here’s what she said, she’s fundraising off of her spat with the President, saying, ‘I want to make one thing clear: Maine will not be intimidated by the president’s threats. The work to push back against Trump and his agenda begins at the state level. Can you donate $10 to the Maine democratic Party to make sure they have the resources to fight for our state?’ This is a state that had a biological boy who was a mediocre athlete go into a women’s division and blow away the competition, so what is she defending?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, first of all, this is not a Democrat or Republic issue. This is an American and equal rights issue. And again, this governor has no right to defy Number One, President Trump, but Number Two take away the right of young girls to work hard to take that opportunity that this country gives to do the best you can in sports…I coached 40 years. You learn work ethic, you learn time, you learn how to work with other people, you learn how to win, you learn how to lose. You learn how to do all those things together, but again, they want to do away with women’s sports for some reason.”
ROBERTS: “Senator, we’ll be watching later today to see if it can break the filibuster and how many Democrats come over. We thank you for your time, Coach.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.
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