McBride says House Republicans' bathroom ban is 'attempt to distract from what they are actually doing' 

Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first transgender person elected to Congress, said Sunday that House Republicans’ bathroom ban is an “attempt to distract from what they are actually doing.”

In her appearance on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” with anchor Margaret Brennan, McBride said “every single time we hear the incoming administration or Republicans in Congress talk about any vulnerable group in this country, we have to be clear that it is an attempt to distract.”

“It is an attempt to distract from what they are actually doing. Every single time, every single time we hear them say the word 'trans,' look what they're doing with their right hand,” she continued.

Earlier this week, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a bill aimed at prohibiting transgender people from facilities on Capitol Hill that match their gender identity. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) later announced a new policy barring transgender people from using Capitol bathrooms matching their gender identity.

“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson said previously. “It is important to note that each member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol.”

McBride said Sunday that she has “had conversations with colleagues in the Democratic caucus already that — that span diversity of thought about how the party should engage on a whole host of issues.”

“But I think we are all united that every single American deserves equal rights. I think we are all united that attempts to attack a vulnerable community are not only mean-spirited, but really an attempt to misdirect,” she added.

Mace later unveiled a bill that would ban transgender people from bathrooms aligned with their gender identity in federal buildings.

The Hill has reached out to Mace’s and Johnson’s offices, the Republican National Committee, the House Republican Conference and the Trump transition team for comment.