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Republican California lawmakers took aim at Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s education department and athletics association after they refused to comply with the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights’ (OCR) resolution agreement after it was found to be in violation of Title IX for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley and state Reps. James Gallagher and Kate Sanchez released statements after Education Secretary Linda McMahon made known that the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) dismissed the Trump administration’s demands.
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Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies before a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing on Capitol Hill, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
“California’s blatant disregard for the safety and civil rights of young women and girls is shameful,” Kiley said in a statement. “The state’s political leaders are willing to forfeit federal funding in order to maintain the deeply unfair policy of allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports. This is a clear violation of federal law and common sense.
“As Chair of the House K-12 Education Subcommittee, I will use every tool of oversight available to hold the state’s politicians accountable, protect our student-athletes, and restore integrity to female athletics.”
Gallagher said the issue of having trans athletes in girls’ sports boiled down to fairness.
“California continues to push the dangerous insanity of letting men compete in women’s sports,” he said. “This is about fairness, safety, and the rule of law. Superintendent (Tony) Thurmond and Governor Newsom are jeopardizing school sports programs across the state, all to appease a radical agenda and advance their political careers.”
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to the media after a press conference in Burbank on July 2, 2025. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
Sanchez added, “Newsom’s department of education is blatantly violating Title IX” and was “doubling down.”
“They refuse to protect girls’ sports for biological girls. It’s a shocking civil rights violation that could cost California billions in federal education funding.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the California Department of Education for comment.
McMahon shared CDE general counsel Len Garfinkel’s letter to OCR regional director Bradley R. Burke on Monday.
“The California Department of Education (CDE) received the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR’s) June 25, 2025 Letter of Finding and Proposed Resolution Agreement in the above-referenced OCR matter,” the letter read.
“The CDE respectfully disagrees with OCR’s analysis, and it will not sign the Proposed Resolution Agreement.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom came under fire on Monday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
McMahon also shared the CIF’s response from its general counsel, Diane Marshall-Freeman.
“The office of the General Counsel for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is in receipt of your letter, dated June 25, 2025, directed to Dr. Ronald W. Nocetti, the Executive Director of the CIF,” Marshall-Freeman wrote. “I write in response to your request that the CIF inform you ‘in writing by 12:00 p.m. non, eastern time, July 7, 2025,’ as to whether the CIF will sign the United States Department of Education’s, Office for Civil Rights’ (‘OCR’) proposed resolution agreement in the above-entitled matter.
“In reply to your request, please be advised that the CIF concurs with the response of the California Department of Education (“CDE”) submitted to your office earlier today, July 7, 2025. I have attached a copy of the CDE’s response for your references. Consequently, the CIF will not be signing the proposed resolution agreement.”
“California has just REJECTED our resolution agreement to follow federal law and keep men out of women’s sports,” she wrote on X. “Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that ‘it’s an issue of fairness’ was empty political grandstanding.
“@CAgovernor, you’ll be hearing from @AGPamBondi.”
The OCR announced late last month that the CIF and the CDE were in violation of Title IX.
The announcement came weeks after transgender high school track and field athlete AB Hernandez won medals in girls’ competitions during the California state championships. The transgender athlete’s participation in the events sparked nationwide outrage, specifically from President Donald Trump after he signed the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order, which prohibits transgender athletes from competing against biological girls and women in sports.
The Education Department said the CIF and the CDE had 10 days to agree to the agency’s proposed resolution agreement, part of which stated, “to each female to whom an individual recognition is restored, CDE will send a personalized letter to that girl or woman apologizing on behalf of the state of California for allowing her educational experience to be marred by sex discrimination.”
President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Additionally, “The CDE will issue a Notice to all recipients of federal funding (Recipients) that operate interscholastic athletic programs in California requiring them to comply with Title IX. This will specify that Title IX and its implementing regulations forbids schools from allowing males from participating in female sports and from occupying female intimate facilities, and that Recipients must adopt biology-based definitions of the words ‘male’ and ‘female.’
“The CDE and CIF will rescind any guidance that advised local school districts or CIF members to permit male athletes to participate in women’s and girls sports to reflect that Title IX preempts state law when state law conflicts with Title IX.
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“The CDE will require each Recipient and CIF to submit to CDE an annual certification that the Recipient and CIF have complied with Title IX. Accordingly, CDE will also propose to OCR a Monitoring Plan to ensure that Recipients are fully complying with Title IX.”
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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