Biden education secretary refuses to answer whether he’d also make his daughter undress in front of males

Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee grilled Biden Education Secretary Miguel Cardona Tuesday over his department’s various perceived failures — from dismal National Assessment of Educational Progress scores to unchecked anti-Semitism on college campuses.

Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) declared, “You have presided over the greatest decline of educational attainment and institutional legitimacy in the history of our nation.”

According to the committee’s “report card,” Cardona got a failing grade in all subjects.

While Cardona was ready with excuses for most critiques regarding his handling of American education, the education secretary was altogether unprepared to answer whether he would willingly subject his own daughter to the consequences of the Biden administration’s woke rewrite of Title IX, which has been rejected by a host of red states.

Background

Last month, the Biden administration released its final Title IX rules, establishing “gender identity” as a protected class and requiring tens of thousands of schools around the country, along with numerous libraries and museums, to embrace radical gender ideology.

Blaze News previously reported that the new rules, announced by Cardona’s department on April 19, clarified that sex discrimination now includes sexual preferences and “gender identity” and further clarified “that sex-based harassment includes harassment on these bases.”

The rules further stated that a school “must not separate or treat people differently based on sex in a manner that subjects them to more than de minimis harm,” emphasizing that preventing “someone from participating in school (including in sex-separate activities) consistent with their gender identity causes that person more than de minimis harm.” Such perceived harm would be grounds for litigation.

Under the rules, federally funded institutions that fail to let transvestites into girls’ washrooms could face legal action.

While the Biden administration did not apply the corresponding rule to sex-separate living facilities and sex-segregated sports teams, Cardona’s department noted that it “intends to issue a separate final rule to address Title IX’s application to sex-separate athletic teams.”

Rules for thee

During the hearing Tuesday, Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) said to Cardona, “You’re in a very unique position to impact the lives, futures and fortunes of millions of female athletes. Americans on both sides of this debate need to know how deep your commitment is.”

“Would you force your daughter to undress in a bathroom with boys who are also undressing?” asked Owens.

Even though the new Title IX rules apply to school washrooms, Cardona framed the Utah representative’s question as athletics-specific, saying, “I am not going to be commenting on athletics rules that we haven’t proposed.”

“You can’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on that?” said Owens.

“I’d be happy to talk about a Title IX,” responded Cardona.

Owens rephrased the question: “If your daughter was reported — she felt uncomfortable in a boy’s presence in a bathroom or locker room, would that be considered by your administration discrimination or bigotry?”

Cardona defaulted to seemingly scripted comments, which Owens would not tolerate.

“Okay, alright. I only have a few minutes here,” said Owens. “Girls have now entered in contact sports of boxing and wrestling. Would you allow your daughter to physically fight and get beat up by a boy who called himself a girl? Yes or no.”

“Be happy to, once we finalize our regulations on Title IX athletics, to come back and have a conversation with you,” said Cardona.

When it became clear the secretary would not volunteer the natural response from a loving father, Owens said, “There’s a Cherokee proverb that says, ‘A man’s highest calling is to protect women so she is free to walk the earth unharmed.'”

“With all due respect, I pray that our country will never ever have the vision that your policies are now driving us towards in terms of manhood. It’s a vision that teaches our boys that harming girls is no big deal,” continued Owens. “I pray that we remain a country that produces overwhelmingly mass majorities of men who feel the way I do about my girls. I would give my life in a heartbeat for my girls.”

According to the congressman, his daughters trust that he has their back whereas millions of Americans have no faith in Cardona “protecting our girls because of policies you can’t say yes or no to.”

Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) similarly blasted Cardona and the Biden administration over its Title IX woke rewrite, noting, “The Title IX Rule and the guidance that you are putting out, that you have been putting out for years, is taking away the safety of our daughters in their private spaces, in their locker rooms, in their showers.”