President Donald Trump has once again urged lawmakers to pass the Protect College Sports Act, saying "we have to get that done" as Congress recess looms.
Trump had more than 120 athletes, coaches, staff and representatives from Team USA for a special celebration at the White House on Thursday night to celebrate their achievements at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As Trump referenced "the collegiate athletic system is the engine of American Olympic dominance," producing 88% of the Team USA representatives in those Games alone, he urged the House and Senate to pass the bill, which he said he would sign immediately at his desk.
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"I’m urging the House and the Senate to come together, bipartisan if possible and it looks like they have done, to send the bill to my desk and I will sign it. I think we have no choice," Trump said. "We have to get that done. If we don’t, we’re very foolish. Nobody knows what will happen. We’re in Never-Never Land. We’re not going to let that be happening. We’re not going to let that happen to these great people and others."
Trump added that his administration is "doing everything we can to protect the cherished sporting traditions that have long been a part of our nation."
"Already we’ve done a lot to save women’s sports, and we’re also saving college sports. We’re in the process of working very hard," he said.
The Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill that NCAA officials continue to lobby lawmakers to pass, would provide the collegiate governing body with greater antitrust legal protections while also establishing a uniform framework for college athletics in terms of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) compensation, the transfer portal and more.
The bill, though, has had its obstacles in the Senate, including Thursday when three Republican senators filed an amendment aimed at preventing the bill from overriding state laws that bar biological men from competing in women’s sports. Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Jim Banks of Indiana and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama are pushing to close what they view as a loophole to undo laws in their states designed to keep biological males out of women’s sports.
The bill’s current writing would override certain state laws dealing with college athlete eligibility, and these senators believe their laws, as well as similar ones in other states, would be impacted, leading to their amendment to make clear those state laws remain in effect if the bill passed.
"I’ve reviewed the current draft of the Senate NIL bill and I am very concerned it PREEMPTS Missouri’s law banning men in women’s sports," Hawley wrote on X. "This is what [Riley Gaines] has been saying. Big, big problem."
While word of the amendment has yet to come, and could play a significant role in Republican support, Trump hopes the bill itself heads to the Oval Office sooner than later with the framework needed to protect college sports now and in the future. Earlier on Thursday, the Trump administration issued a statement supporting the passage of the act, reaffirming the president’s wish to see a college sports bill passed.
"The future of college sports, especially the future of Olympic and non-revenue sports, is threatened by significant legal and financial uncertainty. Federal legislative action is imperative to fix the statutory ambiguities, ensure liability protection and uniform standards, and stop the endless litigation that is fueling this crisis, which will in turn provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes and preserve collegiate athletic opportunities," the statement of administration policy read.
But there is the Congress recess to think about. The Senate is set for its five-week recess when the day concludes on Friday, though it faces a big to-do list other than just attempting to pass this bill which could delay leaving Capitol Hill.
Whether the Senate checks the Protect College Sports Act off that list remains to be seen, but Trump gave a Thursday night nudge in hopes it reaches the House, and soon after, his desk.
