Western South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed disappointment after Democrats blocked the "Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act," introduced by Senator Tuberville, during a press conference with Senate Republican leadership.

Thune highlighted his personal connection to the issue, stating, "sports is a big part of my family’s life." He noted that he has daughters who are athletes and a granddaughter involved in soccer and basketball. Thune remarked on the difficulty of imagining them competing against biological males.

He emphasized that this issue is one of common sense and claimed broad public support, saying, "Almost 80 percent of the American people and a majority of Democrats believe that biological males shouldn’t be competing against girls in sports."

Despite opposition from Democrats, Thune acknowledged an executive order from the president aimed at addressing this matter. However, he lamented the missed opportunity for legislative debate and codification to ensure long-term stability regardless of future administrations.

Thune criticized what he sees as Democratic inconsistency regarding filibuster use: "And now they use the filibuster to prevent us from even getting on and debating the [Protection of] Women and Girls in Sports Act."

He concluded by expressing concern over what he perceives as an abandonment of Title IX principles: "I have never seen such an abandonment of a core principle as what we saw on the floor of the Senate last night when we had this vote."