South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace asked Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett if she wanted to “go outside” during a contentious House Oversight Committee meeting on Tuesday.

Newsweek has reached out to Mace and Crockett’s press teams via email seeking comment.

Why it matters

The dispute between the two lawmakers began when the House of Representatives voted to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports at federally funded facilities. Republicans emphasized the issue of transgender inclusion in sports in the 2024 election, putting the onus on Democrats who have championed LGBTQ+ rights.

While many polls show that acceptance of LGBTQ+ rights has generally increased over the past 20 years, most Americans are less supportive of transgender girls and women participating in women’s sports. A May 2023 Gallup poll found that 69 percent of Americans believe transgender people should play on teams that correspond to their gender assigned at birth.

What you should know

The Mace-Crockett debate comes as the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act seeks to prohibit schools that receive federal funding from allowing transgender girls and women to participate on women’s sports teams.

“Someone’s campaign coffers are really struggling right now. That’s why she can’t keep saying “Trans, Trans, Trans” to make people feel threatened. And child, listen,” Crockett said in the meeting.

Crockett: Someone’s campaign coffers are struggling right now, so she’s going to keep saying, “Trans, Trans, Trans… kid, listen up.”

Mace: I’m not a child! Don’t call me a child. I am a grown woman. If you want to take it outside pic.twitter.com/o2EBHzcwoT

– Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025

Mace resented Crockett calling her a “child.”

“I am not a child. Don’t even start. I am a grown woman of 47 years old,” Mace said. “Do you want to take it outside?”

Chairman James Comer repeatedly banged the gavel and called for order.

Crockett spoke up again later in the meeting, saying that “you all need to find some people who really care about their constituents.”

Crockett: The fact that you just sat up there and somehow figured out how to connect trans people to your argument makes no sense to me, but let me tell you something. Transsexuals aren’t going anywhere, just like back when the racists wanted to make sure black people would go somehow… pic.twitter.com/FojHvb86as

– Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2025

“The fact that you just sat up there and somehow figured out how to associate transgender with your argument makes no sense to me,” Crockett said. “Trans people aren’t going anywhere, just like when racists wanted to make sure Black people in this country were somehow dismissed, we’re not gone either.”

It wasn’t the first time Mace and Crockett competed against each other. Last Friday, Crockett responded to Mace’s “white privileged” comment during the debate over the decision to convict Hunter Biden of contempt of Congress.

“I can’t get over the gentle lady from South Carolina talking about white privilege. “As a black woman, it was ultimately a slap in the face to me that you talked about what white privilege looks like,” Crockett said.

Crockett also called Mace “racist” at a DNC Black Caucus meeting several months ago.

What people say

Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida on Bluesky: “Nancy Mace asked Jasmine Crockett to step outside.” Chairman Comer ruled that threatening violence against another member was OK as long as it was in the form of a question. “Wild”

American Bridge Digital Media Director Kelsie Taggart on X: “The only person who ever seems to threaten violence in this Congress is Nancy Mace.

“I think they may need to start passing laws to keep them out.”

National Women’s Law Center, in a statement: “Don’t be fooled by the misleading title of these bills. They do nothing to address the real inequalities and harms that female and male athletes face. And worse: they are dangerous for women and girls. Aside from the obvious discrimination against transsexual non-binary and intersex students, sports bans are a gateway to policing our appearance and behavior.”

What happens next

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to pass the “Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act,” largely along party lines: 218 members voted in favor and 206 against. Only two Democrats, Reps. Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas, supported the bill, while one Democrat, Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina, voted present.

The transgender athletes in sports bill still needs to pass the Senate, where it would need to clear the filibuster by 60 votes to become law. It’s unclear whether any Senate Democrats plan to vote for it.

If it passes the Senate, it would be sent to the president’s desk for his signature. President Joe Biden will remain in the Oval Office for the time being. But President-elect Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated on Monday, January 20, and he has expressed support for banning transgender sports.