Politics

GOP Lawmaker Ditches Problem Solvers Caucus After Democrats Refuse To Budge On Trans Issue

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Republican New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis resigned as vice chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus Friday after Democrats in the group voted against a bill advocating for a women’s history museum.

Every House Democrat, including those on the committee, voted against the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Act, even though 20 Democrats on the caucus co-sponsored the bill. In a letter to the committee’s co-chairs, Malliotakis accused Democrats on the committee of repeatedly refusing to cross party lines on pieces of legislation, leading her to submit her resignation.

“I have repeatedly found myself disappointed by the lack of help Republicans receive from our Democrat colleagues on this Caucus when their vote would actually make a difference in whether a measure passes or fails, not to mention repeatedly voting to shut down the federal government and siding with one of the most extreme far-right members of the Republican Conference to unjustly remove the Speaker of the House and paralyze the institution for 22 days,” Malliotakis wrote to committee co-chairs Brian Fitzpatrick and Tom Suozzi.

Malliotakis referred to former Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s motion to vacate against then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which all House Democrats backed in October 2023.

Punchbowl News: Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) says she is leaving the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus

“Sadly, it has become apparent to me over the past five years that the bipartisanship of the Problem Solvers Caucus has clearly been a one-way street.” pic.twitter.com/9uiJADEwas

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) May 22, 2026

House Democrats voted against the women’s history museum bill because it prohibited the Smithsonian from trying to classify any biological male as a woman, Politico reported. The Democratic Women’s Caucus announced it would oppose the bill because it allegedly gave President Donald Trump “unregulated power” over what content could be included in the museum.

“They amended the bill to give Trump and his allies unregulated power over what content and which women can be included in the museum, and the museum’s location,” the caucus said. “A museum about women, fought for and supported by women, should not be controlled by one man.”

An earlier version of the bill was co-sponsored by 127 Democrats, though they opposed a newly amended version of the legislation. Republicans on the House Administration Committee added new language to the bill last month to dedicate the museum to “preserving, researching, and presenting the history, achievements, and lived experiences of biological women.”

“If not one Problem Solvers Democrat would vote for a straightforward measure to transfer federal land for a women’s history museum simply because it was amended through regular order, during the committee process, to ensure that only biological women are exhibited, then what can we actually rely on the Caucus’ Democrats to join us on? I therefore submit my resignation as vice chair and member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, effective immediately,” Malliotakis continued.

Suozzi’s office and the Problem Solvers Caucus did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.