House rejects bill to further museum honoring women

Roll Call -  A once-bipartisan effort broke down Thursday as the House rejected a bill to pave the way for construction of a Smithsonian museum honoring women.  Previously championed by both sides of the aisle, the legislation saw last-minute changes at a House Administration Committee markup in March that led Democrats to withdraw their backing. The new version would prohibit exhibits from including transgender women or girls, as well as give the final say on location to President Donald Trump. 

“They have shown that they are willing to destroy a bipartisan bill in order to respond to the White House,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., who chairs the Democratic Women’s Caucus. 

The bill would allow the museum to be built within the reserve of the National Mall, an area where construction is tightly restricted. Although the bill names the South Monument site across from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, it would also give the president the ability to “designate an alternative site” at his discretion. Democrats have decried the changes as a “poison pill” that derailed years of work.