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House Democrats joined with six Republicans on Thursday to block legislation advancing the long-awaited Smithsonian American Women\u2019s History Museum, tanking the bill after Republicans added language limiting the museum to celebrating biological women and barring exhibits portraying males as female.<\/span><\/p>\n The measure failed on a 216-204 vote after every Democrat voted against it, joined by a small bloc of Republican defectors, halting what had previously been a bipartisan effort to establish the museum on the National Mall. The legislation was led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).<\/span><\/p>\n The collapse of the bill came after Democrats abandoned legislation many of them had previously supported, once Republicans amended it to explicitly define the museum around biological women.<\/span><\/p>\n New language added by Republicans stated the museum would be dedicated to \u201cpreserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women in the United States,\u201d while also prohibiting the museum from depicting \u201cany biological male as a female.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Democrats immediately denounced the changes, arguing they excluded transgender-identifying individuals and handed too much authority over the museum to President Donald Trump. Republicans countered that a women\u2019s history museum should, by definition, focus on women.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe addition of the word biological made them all run for the hills,\u201d House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Wednesday. \u201cIf that\u2019s controversial in the Democratic Party, we\u2019re in serious trouble.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n