During a closed-door lunch Wednesday, House Republican leadership touted Congress' efforts to protect women from trans-identifying male athletes.

Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) hosted Republican colleagues, female athletes, and advocates to highlight the progress being made to keep men out of women's sports. During the lunch, Emmer shared the advice he would give his own daughter if she were to compete with a boy.

'My life changed completely in an instant.'

"I got seven kids — six boys and one daughter," Emmer said. "And this may be inappropriate, but I'm going to say the way I believe. I not only taught my daughter to compete with boys, I taught her to kick their ass!"

"But I just look at my daughter, and I asked myself, what parent would not stand up and say this is wrong?"

Courtesy of Rep. Emmer's office

Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, who co-hosted the lunch, shared the pushback she experienced trying to advocate for female athletes.

"I was the chair of the bipartisan women's caucus, and we were taking a vote on initiatives that we were going to champion as Republicans and Democrats. In the final five minutes of the meeting, I said, 'Hey, we're missing a key issue here. I think we should take a position as women on protecting women's sports.'"

"You would not believe the conversation that ensued," Cammack said. "I had more women shouting me down, telling me how hateful we were for even mentioning this and that we were going to be excluding people. I knew in that moment that we had to do something."

In the aftermath, Cammack founded the Republican Women's Caucus, where she continued to stand for women's sports.

Courtesy of Rep. Emmer's office

Several female athletes were also present, all of whom had their own experience playing against male athletes who claimed to be women.

One athlete in attendance was Payton McNabb, a former girls' volleyball player whose life was turned around because the adults around her refused to stand up for the young women on her team. McNabb was severely injured in 2022 when her high school volleyball team was forced to compete against a male athlete who slammed the ball in her face and knocked her unconscious.

"I went to the doctor, and they explained how I had a concussion, a brain bleed, and permanent whiplash," McNabb said. "All this could have been completely avoided from the start, and I could have been living my normal life playing college volleyball. But all of that got taken away because of this game, and I never played volleyball again."

"I couldn't drive for several months. I went from being top three in my class to needing extra time on tests and accommodations in school. ... My life changed completely in an instant. It was really hard on me — not only on me, but on my family who had to watch me suffer. ... That's why it's been so important to share my story across the country."

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California Republican suddenly dies at age 65

Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California has tragically passed away at just 65 years old, according to multiple statements from GOP lawmakers issued Tuesday morning.

LaMalfa was a fourth-generation rice farmer representing California's 1st congressional district, an agricultural area in Northern California. LaMalfa dedicated over two decades of his life to public service, first as a state legislator and later serving in Congress from 2013 to 2026.

'Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service.'

At the time of this writing, no cause of death has been made public.

In the wake of the sudden tragedy, many of LaMalfa's colleagues expressed shock and extended their condolences to his family on social media.

Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

"Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) said in a post on X. "Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America. Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children."

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who also chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, reflected on his friendship with LaMalfa, recounting personal memories with the late congressman.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my colleague and close friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa," Hudson said in a statement. "Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California. He was never afraid to fight for rural communities, farmers, and working families. Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service."

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

"I cherished our time serving together on the Agriculture Committee and discussing NASCAR — he was a real gear head and motorsports fan. I will deeply miss my 'amigo.' Renee and I are praying for his beloved wife, Jill, as well as Kyle, Allison, Sophia, Natalie, and all his loved ones, friends and staff during this incredibly difficult time."

The House majority now sits at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats.

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'This is insane': Tom Emmer eviscerates Democrats for refusing to reopen the government

As the government officially enters the second week of the shutdown, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota has a clear message to Democrats.

In a video obtained exclusively by Blaze News, Emmer ripped into Senate Democrats for putting partisan politics over the American people. Ever since Democrats refused to pass the Republicans' clean, nonpartisan funding bill before the September 30 deadline, Congress has been in a stalemate.

'All these Democrats are putting their political issue ahead of the American people.'

"The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have now voted 'no' on reopening the government seven times," Emmer says in the video obtained by Blaze News. "... You've got over 400,000 Minnesotans who rely on SNAP to support themselves. Our air traffic controllers aren't going to get paid. Our Customs and Border Patrol [sic] isn't going to get paid."

Notably, President Donald Trump's administration has made attempts to minimize pain for those affected by the shutdown, such as making sure our military service members don't miss their paychecks on October 15.

In the video, Emmer is seen standing in the United States Capitol near the Senate chamber, where over a half-dozen votes to reopen the government have been blocked by Democrats. Emmer also points out the harsh contrast between the two spending bills proposed by the respective parties.

"I'm standing in the rotunda. Behind me is where the Senate should be right now, voting to reopen the government," Emmer says in the video. "Instead, seven times now they have voted no."

The Republican-led spending bill is a bipartisan bill that continues funding the government at current spending levels through November 21. There are no ideological line items or anomalies in the GOP bill, whereas the Democrat bill is full of them. Emmer calls out Democrat Sen. Tina Smith, who shares his Minnesota constituency, for voting against every effort to keep the government open.

"You want to put illegals back on taxpayer-funded health care benefits while at the same time gutting our rural hospital fund of $50 billion that we created just this summer," Emmer says of Smith.

Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"All these Democrats are putting their political issue ahead of the American people," Emmer continues in the video. "This is insane, and it's wrong."

"Our message is clear. Democrats: Reopen the government. Let's get back to work. Put the people before your politics. Stop hurting Americans. Let's get back to work and finish the job that we were all sent here to do."

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Exclusive: Tom Emmer torches Tim Walz's 'failed' leadership, says he should 'have his head examined'

House Majority Whip and Minnesota native Tom Emmer (R) bashed Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for his "failure to lead" in the aftermath of the gruesome Minnesota shooting during an exclusive interview with Blaze News.

Following the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School, Emmer spoke about the heartbreak felt in the community while also criticizing Walz's repeated inaction to protect Minnesotans.

'There were warnings all along the way.'

"I'm a Minnesotan and father of seven kids, and we're a Catholic family," Emmer told Blaze News. "The Annunciation school is one of the strongest Catholic parishes in the Twin Cities."

"Words just can't describe the amount of heartbreak and anger that I think all of us feel about this unspeakable act of evil."

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

The shooter was later identified as Robert Westman, a man who suffered from gender confusion, raising concerns about transgender gun ownership. Emmer said that rather than addressing Westman's mental health, Democratic policies like those backed by Walz exacerbate the issue.

"Everyone has their own challenges. We respect that. We understand that," Emmer told Blaze News. "But Tim Walz and all of these radical left-wing Democrats that look at a young man like the one involved in this case and tell them, 'You're confused. We're going to make it worse. We're going to encourage you to make it worse.'"

Under Walz's leadership, Minnesota became a "trans refuge" that allowed the state to take children with gender dysphoria away from their parents if they weren't giving them "gender-affirming care." Additionally, Catholic schools were on guard and asking for increased security following the Tennessee shooting in 2023, but Walz ignored their pleas.

"The trans community, God bless them for the challenges they already have, but the suicide in that community is well above the national average. Why aren't we talking about that?" Emmer added. "... He was screaming for help."

"There were warnings all along the way," Emmer told Blaze News.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Since the shooting, Walz and other Democratic officials have pointed the finger at firearms instead of the underlying motives that may have led Westman to commit the heinous act. Rather than politicizing the atrocity, Emmer said leaders should come together to address the "root of the problem."

"We should be focused on what the root of the problem is," Emmer told Blaze News. "It's mental health. It's a failure of people to actually speak up and follow the laws that are there and enforce them."

"It's all about us and them for Tim Walz, as opposed to how do we all work together and live together in peace and security and respect," Emmer told Blaze News.

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Unfortunately, the recent violence in Minnesota was not an isolated incident. Like many other blue cities across the country, Minneapolis is plagued by high crime rates. Although Trump has previously extended a hand to blue cities like Minneapolis, Walz continues to dig his heels in.

"I'm hoping partisan, hateful, failed leaders like Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, and others follow the model," Emmer told Blaze News. "You don't have to embrace Donald Trump. ... But certainly you should care enough about your own people. The people that you work for that elected you to protect them and their families from the violence that we've been seeing in Minneapolis as a result of the failure to lead."

"Seriously, there's something wrong with Tim Walz," Emmer told Blaze News. "Somebody should have his head examined and offer him some help, because he's completely gone off the edge."

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'Kick their a**!' Republican leadership touts key protections against men in women's sports

California Republican suddenly dies at age 65

'This is insane': Tom Emmer eviscerates Democrats for refusing to reopen the government

Exclusive: Tom Emmer torches Tim Walz's 'failed' leadership, says he should 'have his head examined'

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