House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries holds a press conference on the fourteenth day of the U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14, 2025. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
It was widely opposed by most Democrats, however. Forty-five House Republicans signed on to formally back the legislation before the vote.
And while the majority of Republicans supported it on the House floor, it's unclear as of now if it will be taken up in the GOP-led Senate.
Transgender issues, particularly related to minors, have been one of the topics driving a wedge between moderate and progressive Democrats. But the severity of the bill's language appears to have turned off a significant number of Democrats in the House.
The bill creates new federal crimes that carry up to 10 years in prison for doctors performing transgender-affirming surgeries on minors, while also making it a crime to prescribe puberty blockers.
GENDER DYSPHORIA TREATMENTS POSE ‘SIGNIFICANT RISKS’ TO KIDS AND TEENS, HHS REPORT REVEALS
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the House reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Friday, April 12, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who argued in favor of the bill on the House floor, said on Wednesday, "It is obscene. It is disgusting. You’re seeing in real time Democrats wanting and defending grooming of children. And it is abhorrent."
"There is a lie at the heart of the debate we’re having today that I have to correct — no child is born in the wrong body. There are only two sexes, male and female. There are no others," Mace said.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/over-200-house-dems-vote-against-criminalizing-transgender-surgery-kids