Providing for Consideration of H.R. Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Smithsonian American Women's Xiii with Respect to Consideratoin of Certain Resolutions Reported From the Committee on Rules

Floor Speech

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Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take a moment to talk about this bipartisan effort to build the women's history museum. The reality is this was a museum that was first authorized in 2020 with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Now, this measure that I am proud to be a cosponsor of had 232 sponsors, an overwhelming number of Republicans and Democrats who support this legislation, and it had the support of President Donald Trump.

It is set up in a way where there is an advisory council which is already appointed, people can go see who those members are. It is basically evenly split, Republicans and Democrats, who advise on the content and the exhibits that will be in this museum.

So for anybody to stand up and say that somehow this legislation would allow the President to dictate the content and what will be displayed in this museum is simply untrue.

Now, there was an amendment that was made in the House Administration Committee that added one simple thing regarding content, and the simple thing is simply to add a sentence that said that this was a museum dedicated to biological women. That came out of a concern from people out in the community, women's organizations. Yes, the White House agrees with us that it should be restricted to biological women and many Members who brought up questions during the hearing of that bill when it was in the Natural Resources Committee.

Now, simply adding the word ``biological'' to this museum should not make it a deal-breaker for my colleagues on the other side. I don't understand why they are all refusing to now support a bill when we had, again, well over 100 sponsors from the Democratic Party. They can't say that that is not the reason that they are not supporting this. I mean, the Democratic Women's Caucus put out a memo. In there they said that it ``Adds a discriminatory provision intended to dictate what the museum can and cannot say about women's history, for example, language about biological women.''

That is the reason. They have said it. I think that is a disgrace that the Democrats will stand in the way of a national women's history museum being built by the Smithsonian, a reputable institution, simply because that sentence was added to the legislation.

This certainly can be a bipartisan, and should be, a bipartisan effort moving forward.

As I said, it is the advisory council that is evenly split Republicans and Democrats that will come up with the content when this museum is built. By the way, it will be a long time before it is built, and it will be longer if this bill fails because you guys decide to stop a women's history museum from coming to the floor.

The bill simply transfers land. So let's get that land transferred. Let's get the process going, and let's honor the women of America who have contributed so much and deserve to be recognized.

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Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, 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. That is the reality.

This bill does nothing other than simply make clear that it is biological women who are in a women's museum. I don't understand that.

In terms of location, there is no committee. There is no Presidential committee that is set up to possibly change the site. In fact, the amendment clarified the location. Before, we did not have the specific South Monument site location, which is bordered by 14th Street Southwest, Jefferson Drive Southwest, and Independence Avenue Southwest specifically listed in the bill.

Now, it is specifically listed. Yes, the President may designate an alternative site within 180 days if there is an issue for some reason with that particular land. If we find out there is a particular issue and you can't build on that land, wouldn't you want to have the option not to have to do this all over again and pass another bill but instead allow for an alternative location to be set?

This bill further clarified that location as the chosen location, which the advisory council--made up of bipartisan women, not President Donald Trump or his commission--established.

I just think it is ridiculous that we are arguing over this when this is clearly something that was authorized by Republicans and Democrats under President Trump in 2020, and now the land should be transferred so it can be built with bipartisan support and President Trump, once again, here we are in 2026.

By the way, you had 4 years under the last President to do something about it. This was authorized by President Trump in 2020, and for 4 years you guys did nothing to move it along and get the Biden administration--which I had repeatedly lent my support to that effort to try to help.

So here we are. President Donald Trump is the President. He will be the one who will break ground on this museum, and I know that bothers you that it is going to be President Trump that delivers the women's history museum, but that is the reality because your President did nothing for 4 years.

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