Senate blocks voting bill’s amendment on transgender athletes during rare weekend session

The Senate on Saturday blocked an amendment banning transgender athletes from playing women’s sports, rejecting one of President Trump’s priorities: he puts pressure on Congress act on a broad vote bill.

Senators were holding a rare weekend session to debate election legislation, which would put in place strict new voter registration requirements and require photo ID at the polls in order to prevent the country’s citizens from voting illegally.

THE House passed the bill earlier this yearbut the Republican president has since said he wants additional priorities added to the legislation, including banning sports for transgender athletes and banning all mail-in voting.

Democrats are expected to ultimately block the broader legislation. Republican senators have repeatedly said they do not have enough support to abandon the proposed legislation. obstructionthat triggers a 60-vote threshold in the 100-member Senate, or find another workaround to pass the bill. The Republicans hold 53 seats.

Still, Republicans brought the bill to the Senate this week for a lengthy debate, as Mr. Trump said he would not sign other bills until they passed the ballot measure. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Saturday morning that Republicans “have made no final decision on how to conclude this matter.”

“What we’re trying to do is ensure that we have a thorough debate,” Thune said, before signing everyone up officially “one way or another.”

The amendment, blocked by a 49-41 vote, would penalize educational institutions receiving federal funding if they allow individuals assigned male at birth to participate “in a program or athletic activity intended for women or girls.”

Mr. Trump also wants Congress to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors as part of debate over the bill. It is not yet clear whether the Senate will vote on this.

Additionally, Mr. Trump said he wanted the House-passed bill to include a ban on most mail-in ballots. The president has has criticized mail-in voting for years and used it as the centerpiece of his efforts to overturn his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. A ban on mail-in votes would face strong resistance from lawmakers.