South Carolina Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace’s latest attack on transgenderrights has hit a wall. Her proposal to bar transgender people from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity in House-controlled spaces didn’t make the cut in the rules package for the 119th Congress. Leaving the measure out of the package marks a setback for Mace’s culture war efforts, even as other anti-LGBTQ+ priorities remain front and center.

Mace introduced her bathroom resolution last November, admittedly targeting Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride, the first out trans member of Congress. LGBTQ+ advocates and Democratic lawmakers slammed the proposal as not only discriminatory but also unenforceable. House Speaker Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican, has previously stated that transgender women must use the men’s bathroom. McBride said at the time that she would comply with House rules. 

The Advocate reached out to Johnson’s office for clarification on why the measure wasn’t included.

The rules package, which largely mirrors policies from the last Congress, did include one significant anti-trans provision: a measure redefining Title IX compliance in athletics to base eligibility solely on sex assigned at birth. This codification, a key Republican priority, was coupled with the first bill in the package, which explicitly targets transgender athletes.

“It is not surprising to me that an anti-trans bill will be the first, if not one of the first bills they put forward,” McBride told The Advocate. “It’s going to be important for us to acknowledge the harm that anti-LGBTQ legislation presents, but also to pull back the curtain on what these attacks are attempting to do, which is to distract from issues that impact our economy and worker protections. These policies harm not just LGBTQ people but everyone who believes the federal government should improve lives rather than wage culture wars.”

The U.S. House voted on the new rules package after electing Mike Johnson speaker again and swearing in legislators.