GOP lawmakers slam House Dems for gender-neutral bathroom push as ‘economy is in the toilet’

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FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers slammed House Democrats for pushing for gender-neutral bathrooms on Capitol Hill at the same time that the "economy is in the toilet."

Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and House Democratic Caucus chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sent a letter on Tuesday throwing their hats behind bathroom renovations in the Capitol.

"All employees, interns, and visitors should have access to safe and comfortable restrooms. For members of the transgender, gender nonconforming and disability communities, that often means the availability of single stall or single-occupancy restrooms," the lawmakers wrote to House Administration Committee chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.

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Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., during a committee hearing. (Photo courtesy of Rep. Scott's office.) (Photo courtesy of Rep. Scott's office)

"As lawmakers, we can more effectively represent our constituents when our staff and interns reflect the diversity of the American people," the Democrat leaders continued in the letter reported by The Hill.

Republican lawmakers from leadership on down were not happy about the House Democrats’ bathroom push that comes amid historically high gas prices and rising inflation.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., had choice words for his Democratic colleagues, pointing out in a statement to Fox News Digital that the "left is arguing about bathrooms while our economy is in the toilet because of their reckless overspending."

"Inflation just hit another record high, and once again, the left is proving that they would rather push their woke agenda instead of addressing real problems for American families," Scott continued. "This is just another distraction to avoid cleaning up the mess they created."

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) had harsh words for his Democratic colleagues pushing to overhaul Capitol Hill bathrooms. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., blasted the Democrats in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying inflation "is costing the average American family $5,200 more a year, gas is now over $5 a gallon, and the markets have crashed, yet House Democrats are focused on changing the gender designation of bathrooms for themselves at the Capitol."

"It’s truly unbelievable how out of touch big-government socialists are with the concerns of hard-working taxpayers who are struggling to feed their families and even be able to afford to drive to work," Scalise said. "Rather than wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on Hollywood show trials attacking their political opponents, and changing bathroom gender designations in the Capitol, Speaker Pelosi and President Biden should get to work fixing the litany of crises that they alone created."

"House Republicans are focused on issues people actually care about, which is why just last night we won a Congressional seat in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas that has been Democrat-controlled for over 100 years," he continued, referencing GOP Congresswoman-elect Mayra Flores’ historic Tuesday win.

House Republican Conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik of New York told Fox News Digital that the "House Democrats’ Far-Left agenda has created an inflation crisis, a gas crisis, border crisis, and a supply chain crisis."

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Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital that "Democrats are more concerned about peddling their woke ideology and focusing on gender-neutral bathrooms, while American families are struggling to balance their budgets." (Tom Williams/Getty)

"Instead of proposing solutions to the crises they have created, Democrats are more concerned about peddling their woke ideology and focusing on gender-neutral bathrooms, while American families are struggling to balance their budgets," Stefanik said. "The American people are smart, and they know Republicans are committed to the issues that matter to every American family."

Republican Study Committee chairman Jim Banks of Indiana told Fox News Digital that "House Democrats aren’t interested in anything that happens outside of Washington" while calling the bathroom push "narrow-minded."

"They ignored the 2020 riots that damaged nearly every American city, but their biggest initiative this Congress is their sham, partisan Committee on the Capitol riot," Banks said. "Now they’ve zeroed in on bathrooms in their own office buildings. It’s narrow-minded—who else cares?"

"All across the country, Americans are suffering from record inflation, shortages, crime, the border crisis and now a tanking stock market," he continued. "House Democrats have no solutions, so they’ve pivoted to their favorite topic—themselves."

"While Americans are suffering under record inflation and skyrocketing gas prices, House Democrats are focused on gender-neutral bathrooms in their office buildings," said Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Oklahoma Senate front-runner Markwayne Mullin, who currently serves in the House of Representatives, told Fox News Digital that the "far-Left Socialists don’t care about the American people" and that they are "not even trying to hide their disregard for working families."

"While Americans are suffering under record inflation and skyrocketing gas prices, House Democrats are focused on gender-neutral bathrooms in their office buildings," the former MMA fighter continued. "Give me a break. This is political theater, a true parody of leadership."

Lofgren’s foil on the House Administration Committee, ranking member Rodney Davis, R-Ill., called the blue leadership’s bathroom push "just the latest example of House Democrats’ misplaced priorities."

"With soaring gas prices, baby formula shortages, rising crime, and a border crisis, this is what they choose to focus on," Davis said. "The American People are tired of it, as Democrats will learn the hard way come November."

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said that Democrats' bathroom push "just speaks to Nancy Pelosi’s tone-deaf circus act in Washington." ( Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy told Fox News Digital that "this just speaks to Nancy Pelosi’s tone-deaf circus act in Washington."

"How much more will this latest charade cost the taxpayers?" Murphy asked.

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The Capitol essentially operates as its own ecosystem, having its own carpentry and plumbing services among others like a barbershop and dry cleaners.

These services are paid for by the Capitol using taxpayer dollars, meaning that any and all bathroom renovations in the Capitol and office buildings would come from taxed funds.