WASHINGTON — The Senate blocked a procedural vote to advance a bill seeking to bar transgender women from participating in female sports after the measure failed to garner enough support from Democratic lawmakers.
The Senate voted 51-45 to file cloture on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would’ve allowed the Senate to move forward and begin debate on the measure. The vote required at least two-thirds of the chamber, or 60 senators, to advance.
The bill is similar to one that passed the House earlier this year that would implement restrictions for transgender athletes to take part in women’s school athletics programs — a key issue Republicans campaigned on during the 2024 election cycle and could become a flashpoint for the 2026 midterm elections as well.
“Why do Senate Democrats insist on forcing female athletes to accept hostile, unfair, and abusive conditions in sports?” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a post on X after the vote.
To pass, Republicans would’ve needed Democrats to vote against their party and support the measure. But, if given, those votes could come back to haunt Democratic senators in battleground states, especially those who are up for reelection in 2026. Republicans are likely to use those votes against them in campaigns, taking advantage of a cultural issue that dominated the 2024 cycle and helped Republicans secure the White House and Congress.
Failure to invoke cloture leaves the bill in a holding pattern unless senators can garner the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster.
The House narrowly passed its own version of the bill in January in a 218-206 vote. Only two Democrats sided with Republicans on the vote.
Although the bill would seek to implement such a ban nationwide, 27 states already have some sort of restriction on transgender athlete participation in sports, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
The Utah Legislature enacted a ban on transgender students participating in female school sports in 2022, overriding a veto from Gov. Spencer Cox.