Republicans press Blinken on gender 'X' for passports, say decision 'makes a mockery of science'

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Secretary Blinken participates in a conversation on 21st century diplomacy and global challenges with the University of Michigan

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is pressing Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the State Department's decision to allow Americans to apply for passports that list the holder's gender as "X," saying the decision "makes a mockery of science." 

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., led a letter to Blinken with 12 of her GOP colleagues in response to his March announcement that the State Department "would begin to allow U.S. citizens to select ‘X’ as their gender marker" when applying for passports.

"This is a deeply troubling decision for a variety of reasons," they wrote in the letter Thursday. "First, for an administration that claims to follow the science, it is interesting to see which aspects of science you choose to ignore. Men are men and women are women."

US PASSPORTS TO START INCLUDING ‘X’ AS GENDER OPTION

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., spearheaded a letter to Blinken.   (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

"That is a biological fact. And you do not need to be a biologist to figure that out," they added, referring to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings.

McClain and her colleagues wrote that Blinken’s "decision makes a mockery of science" and that they believe the secretary knows "deep down this makes a joke of science."

"Your press statement highlighted your June announcement, which allowed U.S. passport applicants to self-select their gender regardless of whether they provided medical documentation, ‘even if their selected gender differed from their other citizenship or identity documents,’" the letter states.

The Republicans wrote that the "second troubling aspect" of Blinken’s announcement is that it changes the passport wording from "sex" — which the lawmakers said "is indisputable" — to "gender," which "only undermines the science further."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has come under criticism from Republicans for allowing passports with "X" as the listed gender. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

McClain and her GOP colleagues laid into Blinken over his track record as secretary of state, blasting the announcement as "yet another example of your department’s concerning priorities."

"In a little more than a year, you have overseen a record of failure," they wrote. "From the disgusting and inexcusable collapse of Afghanistan, to the lackluster response of the growing threat posed by Communist China, to the failed diplomatic efforts to prevent the invasion of Ukraine, your leadership at the State Department has proven incompetent and embarrassing.

"In spite of these failures, the State Department has devoted time and resources to not only this unscientific endeavor, but also to such unimportant issues as promoting your recommended Spotify playlist. As you may recall, the official State Department Twitter tweeted out your recommended Spotify playlist eight times in the span of a few weeks, meanwhile Americans remain trapped in Afghanistan."

The lawmakers finished their letter by describing the State Department’s move as "yet another disturbing example of the Biden Administration giving in to the far-left woke minority" and that "it is even more embarrassing for an administration that claims to follow the science."

Biden speaks at the COP26 climate summit.  (Fox News)

"While your competence as Secretary of State is as credible as the science behind this announcement, it would serve you well to reverse this decision. Maybe then, the American people would begin to believe the hollow rhetoric that the Biden Administration follows the science."

American passport applicants have been allowed to apply for passports with gender "X" since Monday.

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Several high-profile House Republicans signed on to the letter, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Ted Budd of North Carolina and Brian Babin of Texas.

The State Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.