Axios - Nobody knows how Mike Johnson's bathroom ban gets enforced

Andrew Solender
9 mins ago



Neither of the House members who oversee the administration of the lower chamber has a clear answer on how House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) new transgender bathroom ban will be enforced.

Why it matters: Transgender bathroom access is a fight that has raged for years on the state level, and enforceability has been a central point of tension. Now Johnson is bringing that fight to Congress' doorstep.

Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that "like all policies, it's enforceable," but did not offer any specifics.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who first raised the issue earlier this week in an effort to target Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), has suggested having the House sergeant-at-arms enforce the ban.

What they're saying: "I think the speaker's statement speaks for itself," House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.) told Axios when asked about enforcement.

Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Steil's Democratic counterpart, said he hasn't seen the language of the ban and that it's "not clear exactly who's being banned."

"I have no idea how it's going to be [enforced]," Morelle added, jokingly suggesting that Mace and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) be appointed as "bathroom monitors."

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