Speaker Johnson Avoids 'Silly Debates' on Trans Bathroom Bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sidestepped specifics about how he plans to address a proposed measure that would ban a transgender woman from using the women's restrooms on Capitol Hill, saying only that lawmakers will "treat everybody with dignity" while providing "appropriate accommodation" for everyone.

"I'm not going to engage in silly debates about this," Johnson told reporters.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Monday introduced a bill to bar transgender women from using the women's bathrooms, a measure she said "absolutely" is aimed at incoming Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del.

"We welcome all members with open arms who are newly elected representatives of the people. I believe it's a — it's a command. We treat all persons with dignity and respect," Johnson told reporters Tuesday when asked about McBride.

"There's a concern about the uses of restroom facilities and locker rooms and all that," Johnson added. "This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before. We're going to do that in a deliberate fashion with members' consensus on it, and we will accommodate the needs of every single person."

Separately, Johnson made it "unequivocally clear" that "a man is a man, and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman."

"That said, I also believe that's what Scripture teaches, what I just said. But I also believe we treat everybody with dignity. We can do and believe all those things at the same time," he said.

Mace reportedly is advocating for her measure to be included in the rules package for the 119th Congress or to be brought to the floor as a standalone rule for a direct vote. Mace told Axios on Tuesday that Johnson told "me last night that he would include it in House rules."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., echoed that, saying Johnson "committed to me, there in the conference, that Sarah McBride will not be using our restrooms."

While Johnson was noncommittal about that to reporters, during a House Republicans' closed-door conference meeting Tuesday he dismissed any notion of Greene, Mace, or any other woman having to share a bathroom with a biological male, Axios reported.

In a statement Monday, McBride said Mace's bill is a "blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions."

"We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, healthcare, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars," McBride said.

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