Former education sec. rips Biden's vow to veto women's sports bill: 50 years gone with the ‘stroke of a pen’

Former swimmer Betsy DeVos says she would have 'never' gotten in the pool if she knew she had to compete against biological males

Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is spotlighting the Biden administration's newly proposed rules on Title IX, arguing that they are dismantling "50 years of progress" in women's sports.

"This is an issue that women have been able to progress on for over 50 years now. And this administration is proposing in 30 days of public comment to essentially undo that 50 years of progress," DeVos argued, during an appearance on "Varney & Co.," Wednesday. 

"And I know, as a former swimmer myself, I never would have gone to get in that cold pool on those early mornings if I knew I was going to have to face biological males, in addition to really fast females."

BETSY DEVOS ON HOW NEW TITLE IX RULES WOULD HAVE AFFECTED HER OWN SWIMMING CAREER: 'IT'S JUST HORRIFIC'

betsy devos closeup

During an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.,’ Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos discussed the Biden administration's latest plan to roll out new Title IX rules, arguing that the decision will have an ‘unthinkable’ impact on women's sports. AP Photo/Ma (AP Newsroom)

Under the Education Department’s recent proposed rules, no school or college that receives federal funding would be allowed to impose a "one-size-fits-all" policy that categorically bans trans students from playing on sports teams aligning with their gender identity, as it would be considered a violation of Title IX. 

Established in 1972, Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools.

"To think that with a stroke of a pen, we're going to undo 50 years of progress in that area…it's really unthinkable."

- Betsy DeVos, former Education Secretary

The administration said the "proposed rule affirms that students benefit from the chance to join a school sports team to learn about teamwork, leadership, and physical fitness." 

But DeVos argued that Biden's new Title IX rules are anything but that. She made the point that there are "physical differences" between men and women that "cannot be denied," an element of the controversy that Democrats have seemingly overlooked. 

"There are reasons for male teams and female teams. There are physical differences that cannot be denied or overcome. And this is an issue that cuts across every line," DeVos continued. 

BIDEN ADMIN RELEASES NEW TITLE IX RULES THAT BARS STATES FROM BANNING TRANSGENDER STUDENTS COMPETING IN SPORTS

"Everybody who has played a sport, competed in a sport, worked hard, knows just how difficult that is. And to think that with a stroke of a pen, we're going to undo 50 years of progress in that area. It's really unthinkable."

The former Education Secretary continued, urging Americans to make their "voices known" to the Biden administration. 

"There is a way to address those issues, separate and apart from the fact that there need to be male teams and female teams. But this is an issue that this administration continues to overreach, in every sense of the word. In their Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education, led by the same person who was there during the Obama administration, taking us further and further to the left through executive authority for which there really is no authority," DeVos told host Stuart Varney.

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"This is an issue that I hope many Americans will comment on. There's a 30-day period to comment and there's an easy place to get your comment in. It's dfipolicy.org. Make your voices known on this issue of fairness and on behalf of the many, many young women who want to compete and want to compete against women," she urged.

Fox News' Cortney O'Brien contributed to this report.