Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Register for The agenda — Them’s’s news and politics newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

The Biden administration has withdrawn efforts to provide protections for transgender student-athletes and cancel student loans.

The Department of Education (DOE) has issued a document explaining the withdrawal in the Federal Register on Friday, December 20, which cited the “multiple pending lawsuits” regarding Title IX and gender identity. Because this litigation is ongoing, the DOE has stated that it will not issue regulations on trans athletes at this time and has “no plans to issue a final rule.” The Title IX rule change in question was initially published in April 2023. Although the proposed change would have prevented schools from completely banning trans athletes from participating in sports, it would also have allowed schools to develop regulations that would still prohibit certain trans athletes from participating.

In March this year, sources reported that the Biden administration was wait for official finalization this rule only changed after the election, as the issue of trans athletes was considered too controversial. Other changes to Title IX, including expanding the definition of “sex discrimination” to formally extend protections to LGBTQ+ students, were published in Apriland came into force on August 1. But this rule change was blocked from the application in about half of the United States from day one, due to preliminary injunctions issued by judges in predominantly Republican-led states. And in August, the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration could not apply rule change in the 26 states that have sued to block the regulations while litigation is ongoing.

The president-elect’s vow to “end the transgender madness” was one of several statements made in a lengthy speech at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference.

According to the Associated PressThe White House is expected to withdraw several unfinished rules before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, making it more difficult for the next administration to issue regulations on the same issues. Having to write such regulations from scratch “would take months, if not years,” according to the AP. THE New York Times also wrote that the withdrawal was “designed to protect both policies from immediate manipulation by the new administration.” Although the newspaper contacted the White House for comment, a spokesperson declined to comment directly on the reason.

Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the AP the move amounted to the White House “adding more red tape and making it harder for (Trump) to govern.”

“President Trump will not be deterred by their dirty tricks and will use every lever of power to undo the damage done by Biden and implement his America First agenda,” Leavitt told the AP.

Them has contacted the Department of Education for comment.

Get the best of the weird. Register for ThemThe weekly newsletter from here.

Originally published on them.