WASHINGTON — A previously popular proposal to establish a Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the National Mall fell apart Thursday when Republicans modified the legislation to exclude transgender individuals from museum displays.
The House voted down the measure 204-216, creating uncertainty about future efforts to move forward. The altered legislation also prohibited showcasing a “diversity” of perspectives and granted President Donald Trump final authority over the museum’s placement.
“It was a simple bill. You kind of ruined it with your trans obsession and your culture wars,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, a Democrat from New Mexico and chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, said earlier in the week.
However, Republicans contended that Democrats were overreacting to the modifications and now blocking progress on the long-desired women’s museum in the nation’s capital.
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, the bill’s chief sponsor, called it “a disgrace” that Democrats would obstruct the bill’s approval.
“Perhaps the party that is opposing a women’s history museum on the National Mall because they want to have transgender exhibits — maybe they are the ones who are trans obsessed,” Malliotakis said.
In the end, several Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the measure. The floor came to a halt as GOP leadership scrambled to find support within their own party.
Among Republican opponents, some conservatives objected to having any museum dedicated specifically to women.
“We say we need to unite this country, but then we isolate every group,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who was among several from the conservative Freedom Caucus who voted against it.
These developments endanger the lengthy campaign to establish a women-focused museum in Washington. Earlier authorization for the museum passed during Trump’s first presidency in 2020, and this recent legislation would have secured its National Mall location. Trump has shown interest in transforming the capital’s cultural landmarks, from the Kennedy Center to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Early this year, the bill had attracted approximately 230 co-sponsors, demonstrating unusual bipartisan cooperation in the divided House, where Republicans maintain a narrow majority. However, due to the bill’s revisions, the Democratic Women’s Caucus rejected the final version, and Democratic leadership urged opposition.
“A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man,” the leaders of the women’s caucus said in a statement. “Republicans traded the representation of women for Trump’s gain and ego. It’s as embarrassing as it is disappointing.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the modifications shouldn’t be contentious, but his attempt to advance the bill with only Republican support despite Democratic objections was unsuccessful.
“Why are they backing out? Simply because the bill reinforces an objective truth that a museum for women, get ready, should showcase only women,” said Johnson, R-La.
On Thursday, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., said she brought her young daughter, Augusta, to the chamber to witness history in the making.
“Biological women deserve to have their stories told,” Cammack said, holding her child during her speech.
But Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said the Republicans abandoned the bipartisan bill for one preferred by Trump’s White House.
Originally presented as progress toward securing the museum’s location, the legislation underwent several revisions during a committee vote last month.
One modification established a mission statement declaring, “The Museum shall be dedicated to preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States.”
It also includes a restriction stating, “The Museum may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as a female.”
Another revision specified the museum’s location on the mall — near 14th Street Southwest and Jefferson Drive, “except that the President may designate an alternative site for the Museum within 180 days of the date of the enactment of this subsection.”
Democrats argued this provision grants Trump power to determine the museum’s final location. “And we do not agree with that,” said Leger Fernandez.
Republicans maintained the provision serves as a backup plan if issues arise with the proposed site to keep the museum project moving forward.
A final change this week eliminated the word “diversity,” instead directing the museum’s organizing council to ensure a “range” of political viewpoints and experiences.
“I just think it’s ridiculous that we are arguing over this,” said Malliotakis.
She suggested it troubles Democrats that Trump will be the one to break ground on the museum, “but that’s the reality.”
