Nancy Mace Asks Jasmine Crockett If She Wants to 'Take It Outside'

Republican South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace asked Democratic Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett if she wanted "to take it outside" during a contentious House Oversight Committee meeting on Tuesday.

Newsweek reached out to both Mace and Crockett's press teams for comment over email.

Why It Matters

The argument between the two representatives started as the House voted to ban transgender athletes from women's sports at federally funded institutions. Republicans emphasized the issue of transgender inclusion in sports during the 2024 election, putting Democrats, who have embraced LGBTQ+ rights, on the defense.

While many polls shows acceptance for 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 Gallup poll from May 2023 found that 69 percent of Americans believe transgender people should play on teams that match their sex assigned at birth.

U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks on stage during Day 3 of Revolt World at Pangaea Studios on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. US Representative from South Carolina Nancy Mace during the third day... Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Revolt TV/KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images

What To Know

The debate between Mace and Crockett came as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is set to ban schools receiving federal funding from allowing transgender girls and women playing on women's sports teams.

"Somebody's campaign coffers really are struggling right now. So, she can't keep saying trans, trans, trans, so that people will feel threatened. And child, listen," Crockett said in the meeting.

Mace took offense that Crockett called her a "child."

"I am no child. Don't even start. I am a grown woman of 47 years," Mace said. "Do you want to take it outside?"

Chairman James Comer kept hitting his gavel and calling for order.

Crockett spoke up again later in the meeting and said that "y'all need to find some people that actually care about their constituents."

"The fact that you just sat up there and somehow figured out how to tie trans folk to your argument makes no sense to me," Crockett said. "Trans people ain't going nowhere just like when the racists wanted to make sure that Black people somehow were going to be dismissed in this country, we ain't left either."

This was not the first time that Mace and Crockett have faced off. Last Friday, during the debates resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress, Crockett responded to Mace's "white privilege" comment.

"I can't get over the gentle lady from South Carolina talking about white privilege. It was a spit in the face, at last of mine, as a black woman, for you to talk about what white privilege looks like," Crockett said.

Crockett also called Mace "racist" at a DNC Black Caucus meeting a few months ago.

What People Are Saying

Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, of Florida, on Bluesky: "Nancy Mace asked Jasmine Crockett to 'go outside.' Chair Comer ruled that threatening violence against another member is okay, as long as it's in the form of a question! Wild"

Kelsie Taggart, digital media director of American Bridge, on X: "The only person who ever seems to be threatening violence in this Congress is Nancy Mace.

"I think they might need to start passing legislation to keep her out."

National Women's Law Center, in a statement: "Don't be fooled by the deceptive title of these bills. They do nothing to address actual inequities and harm that women and girl athletes face. And worse—they're dangerous to women and girls. In addition to blatantly discriminating against trans, nonbinary, and intersex students, sports bans are a gateway into policing how we all look and act."

What Happens Next

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

The bill on transgender athletes in sports will still have to pass the Senate, where it would need to clear the 60-vote filibuster to become law. It's unclear whether any Senate Democrats are planning to vote in its favor.

If it does pass the Senate, it would go to the president's desk for a signature. For now, President Joe Biden remains in the Oval Office. But President-elect Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated Monday, January 20, and he has expressed support for transgender sport bans.