Politics
Democrats rally behind first out transgender member of Congress, decry Republican attacks
At a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) watched as colleagues approached and offered their support to Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), who will soon be sworn in as the first out transgender member of Congress.
“We have your back,” Balint recalled her fellow representatives telling McBride. “We stand with you.”
At a Thursday event where incoming House freshmen got assigned new offices, McBride’s name was met with the loudest applause.
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) shown in Washington in 2022.
(Amanda Andrade-Rhoades / Associated Press)
According to Balint, co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, many Democratic members are excited to welcome and meet McBride — not just as a queer history maker, but as a new colleague whose reputation as an effective state legislator in Delaware preceded her to Washington.
The support has been intentionally loud, Balint said, because they also want to send an unequivocal message to House Republicans who have targeted McBride with bigotry and bullying in recent days that Democrats “are not going to retreat” on transgender rights.
“We have to absolutely recommit ourselves to this fight, for protecting everyone’s inherent dignity,” Balint said.
On Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) filed a resolution calling for a ban on transgender women using Capitol bathrooms that align with their gender identity. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced a similar policy for Capitol bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms. The same day, Mace filed a bill that would expand such bans to federal facilities across the country.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) leaves the speaker’s office at the Capitol in 2023.
(J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)
Mace said her measures, which would require approval, are to protect women and girls, then launched a new line of merchandise to profit off her stance. She has previously espoused support for LGBTQ+ rights.
In issuing his bathroom rule, which falls under his purview as speaker, Johnson said, “Women deserve women’s-only spaces.” He also noted that all members have private bathrooms within their offices — though those can be far from the House floor.
The day prior, Johnson had responded to a question about the issue by stressing the need to “treat all persons with dignity and respect.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks at an October campaign rally for Donald Trump.
(Alex Brandon / Associated Press)
Access to bathrooms has long been an issue for women at the Capitol, which originally operated on the presumption that legislators were men. Only after more and more women won seats in Congress and called out the dearth of facilities for them did the issue get resolved.
With the latest measures targeting McBride, Democrats say they are struggling to combat fresh discrimination in the same sphere — a backsliding they view as particularly cruel for its targeting of a single incoming legislator, and extra alarming for its potential to harm other queer people who visit or work in the Capitol.
“This incredibly craven and cruel attack directed at [McBride] was certainly intended to dehumanize her before she has even been sworn in, but it actually doesn’t just affect our first trans member of Congress,” Balint said. “It impacts all of the people who work on Capitol Hill who identify as trans and nonbinary. It impacts the reporters who cover the Hill that identify as trans and nonbinary. And it also impacts every single one of our constituents who come into the halls of Congress to meet with us.”
Speaking out in opposition to the measures is about supporting McBride, who is “a serious legislator” and wants to get to work on a range of tough issues without having to worry about where she can get to a toilet, Balint said. But it is also about “showing the LGBTQ community across the country that we are standing up for them and pushing back.”
The debate follows an election cycle steeped in anti-transgender rhetoric, when many Republicans — including President-elect Donald Trump — took to ridiculing Democrats over their support for transgender equality as a central campaign message, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in collective ad spending.
“The Republican Party has laser-focused on transgender inclusion as something that it wants to roll back, and so the exciting addition of the first openly trans member of Congress has prompted a hideous response — which is [for them] to participate in an ad hominem attack that takes the form of exclusion,” said Kate Redburn, co-director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School.
Democrats have at times struggled to respond to the barrage of Republican attacks. However, in the last week, they seem to have landed on an approach out of McBride’s own playbook in Delaware — where she won a statewide congressional seat not by running away from her transgender identity and support for queer rights, but by contextualizing them alongside other important issues, such as the cost of living and access to healthcare.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) wrote on X on Tuesday that she is proud to serve alongside McBride, and that it was “disappointing to see Republicans pull stunts” attacking her.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said she is proud to serve alongside Rep.-elect Sarah McBride.
(Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)
“They should take a page out of Rep-Elect McBride’s book,” Pressley wrote, “and focus on actually governing.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), similarly questioned Republicans decision to start into the next Congress by “bullying” McBride instead of focusing on real issues. “This is what we’re doing?” he said.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who has a transgender grandson and has been outspoken against past anti-LGBTQ+ measures, hit a similar note in an interview Thursday, in which she called the Republican measures attacking McBride “absolutely outrageous” and “completely out of line.”
“What a ridiculous focus this is,” she said. “There are needs of many, many Americans who don’t have the healthcare that they need, seniors who can’t afford their medications. Those are the things that we should get to work on, that I’m sure Sarah would want to get to work on — and this is just off the deep end.”
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) called the measures attacking McBride “absolutely outrageous” and “completely out of line.”
(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)
In her own remarks, McBride has acknowledged what many view as the bigotry at the root of the Republican measures, but also tried to refocus the conversation on getting things done for her constituents.
“I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families,” she said in a statement Wednesday. She said Johnson’s rules were an “effort to distract from the real issues facing this country,” but that she wouldn’t let them distract her — even as she follows them.
On Thursday, she made clear that she will work to ensure Capitol Hill is safe for everyone, including her LGBTQ+ constituents, but doesn’t plan on allowing “a right wing culture war machine” to turn her identity “into the issue.”
Lisa Goodman, a longtime LGBTQ+ activist in Delaware and friend of McBride’s, said the representative-elect’s family and friends back home “are disappointed that this is how people who are going to be her colleagues are greeting her.”
But they aren’t worried, Goodman said, because they know McBride is uniquely capable of navigating such waters.
“She can handle these attacks and keep focused on what is the big picture — what is important in the big picture — like no one I have ever met,” Goodman said.
Goodman said McBride has a rare talent for winning over people, which will serve her well in the coming months, as she gets to know her new colleagues — Democrats and Republicans alike.
“She’s just a deeply good person, and my hope is that, as her Republican colleagues in Congress get to know her, they will see her as a person and not as some unknown member of the trans community who they feel it’s OK to attack,” Goodman said.
Balint said several Republican House members have told her in private that they support the LGBTQ+ community and don’t support divisive policies. She said she hopes McBride’s kindness and humanity in the face of such bullying will indeed bring those Republicans to her side — and maybe even inspire them to take a stand for her.
“It is their time to finally show some courage,” Balint said. “I’m asking them to stand up for the basic, inherent dignity of all of us here in this building.”
Times staff writer Andrea Castillo, in Washington, contributed to this report.
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Just hours after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general, President-elect Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his AG nominee.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.
“I have known Pam for many years – She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”
Bondi chairs the Center of Litigation and co-chairs the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute.
PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCES PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL
Here’s what to know about Trump’s new AG pick:
Bondi worked as a prosecutor before becoming Florida’s first female attorney general
Bondi, 59, is a Tampa native and earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida and her law degree from Stetson Law School. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991.
She worked as a prosecutor out of the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office for more than 18 years, trying a variety of cases from domestic violence to murder.
After former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general, President-elect Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his AG nominee. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Bondi made history in 2010 as the state’s first female attorney general. Her campaign emphasized challenging the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and later focused on human trafficking issues once in office. She also notably shut down pill mills and tackled the state’s opioid crisis.
She held the post until 2019.
Bondi has worked closely with Trump, including on his defense team for his first impeachment trial
Bondi worked as one of Trump’s defense lawyers in 2020 after he was first impeached on allegations that he had abused his power and obstructed Congress.
“They have not charged the president with any crime because the president did nothing wrong,” Bondi said when articles of impeachment were sent by the House to the Senate. “There was no crime. The transcript of that phone call speaks for itself.”
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Bondi also worked on Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration. In her role on the commission, Bondi collaborated with national leaders on drug prevention and treatment.
Bondi is a partner at a lobbying firm with ties to Trump and incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles
Bondi is a partner at Ballard Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm founded by Brian Ballard. Bondi splits her time between Florida and Washington, D.C., chairing the firm’s corporate regulatory practice.
Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is also linked to the firm after becoming a partner there after Trump’s 2016 victory. (Getty)
The D.C. office notably earned more than $70 million in lobbying fees during Trump’s first term by representing various corporate clients, according to federal disclosures.
Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, also works for the firm after becoming a partner there following Trump’s 2016 victory.
WITH GAETZ DROPPING OUT, DO HEGSETH, RFK JR. AND GABBARD NOW HAVE BIGGER TARGETS ON THEIR BACKS?
Bondi has been a staunch supporter of Trump throughout his legal troubles
Bondi has been vocal in her criticism about Trump’s prosecutions, going so far as appearing alongside Trump in New York City during his hush money trial.
Bondi has been vocal in her criticism over prosecutions of Trump, going as far as appearing alongside the former president in New York City during his hush money trial. (Getty)
“They make it sound like it’s a first-degree murder case, and I’ve tried plenty of trial cases, Trace, and never seen anything like this,” Bondi told Fox News host Trace Gallagher in April, shortly after Trump was issued a gag order in his New York case.
“They’re trying to gag him not only of his First Amendment rights but of defending himself,” Bondi said at the time.
Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
A clearer picture emerged of who will serve in the Cabinet of America’s 47th President, with President-elect Trump assembling more of his top cabinet picks on Friday evening.
All of Trump’s Cabinet choices must be confirmed by the Senate, with the process set to begin in January. The confirmation process will be made easier by a 53-seat Republican majority, after GOP candidates flipped four seats in this election.
The president-elect chose a slew of key Trump supporters who assisted in his election.
GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his choices to lead the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as his pick for the surgeon general post. (Getty Images)
Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary
Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, was chosen for the coveted post of Treasury secretary. Bessent was a key economic policy adviser and fundraiser for the Trump campaign.
“Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists. Scott’s story is that of the American Dream,” Trump said on Friday.
TRUMP NOMINATES SCOTT BESSENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY; PICKS RUSS VOUGHT TO LEAD BUDGET OFFICE
He has been an advocate for economic policies like lower taxes, spending restraint and deregulation that have long made up the core of the Republican Party’s platform, and has also been supportive of Trump’s use of tariffs in trade negotiations.
Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), listens during an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2020.
Russ Vought – Office of Management and Budget
On Friday, Trump tapped Russ Vought to lead the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought served OMB director during Trump’s first term. He also served as deputy OMB director and acting director.
“He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Vought is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and a close Trump ally.
Scott Turner, former executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, during the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, July 25, 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Scott Turner – Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Trump nominated Scott Turner as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).
TRUMP PICKS SCOTT TURNER AS SECRETARY OF DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!”
Turner, a former Texas state lawmaker, played nine seasons in the NFL as a member of the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer – Labor Secretary
Trump nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., on Friday for secretary of labor.
“I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote in an official statement. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.”
Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022, and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month. Her candidacy was backed by the Teamsters union.
Dr. Dave Weldon – Director of CDC
President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement.
Trump said that Dr. Wedlon would restore trust in the agency and transparency.
Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a New York City-based double board-certified doctor, and, Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins health policy expert and surgeon. (Fox News)
Dr. Marty Makary – FDA commissioner
Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, according to the university’s website, and was a Fox News medical contributor.
“FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency,” Trump said on Truth Social.
TRUMP PICKS DR. JANETTE NESHEIWAT AS NATION’S NEXT SURGEON GENERAL
“He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic,” Trump said.
Janette Nesheiwat – Surgeon General
Trump also nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, saying that she would be a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.”
“I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said.
Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor.
Sebastian Gorka and Alex Wong will serve under President-elect Trump for a second term. (Getty Images; Department of State)
Sebastian Gorka – Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism
Trump announced Friday that his former White House adviser, Sebastian Gorka, will serve in his incoming administration. Gorka will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.
Gorka, a former Trump aide, previously served as deputy assistant to the president during Trump’s first term. He’s also a former Fox News contributor.
“Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement, serving previously as Strategist to the President in the first Trump Administration,” Trump said.
Alex Wong – Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor
Similarly to Gorka, Alex Wong served under Trump during his first term.
Wong served in the State Department as deputy special representative for North Korea, and the deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and pacific affairs.
Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Louis Casiano Jr. contributed to this report.
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