Subject: FW: White House fires back at former right-wing radio host Dan Patrick over transgender bathrooms
From: "Garcia, Walter" <[email-masked]>
To: Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 May 2016 13:51:11 -0700

More fire from TX Dems. They’re on a roll

From: Press Texas Democratic Party [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2016 4:50 PM
To: Press Texas Democratic Party
Subject: White House fires back at former right-wing radio host Dan Patrick over transgender bathrooms

[TX Dem logo.png]

For Immediate Release

May 13, 2016

Contact: Tariq Thowfeek, (832) 429-8217, [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>

White House fires back at former right-wing radio host Dan Patrick over transgender bathrooms

Austin, TX --  Rather than focus on how so many Texans spend their time in traffic and how our children are in overcrowded classrooms, Republicans’ “very important” priority for their convention is being the potty police. Today, the White House fired back at the former right-wing radio host and current Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s discriminatory and ignorant remarks regarding his transgender bathroom policy.

The full story as reported in Politico is below:<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/transgender-bathrooms-white-house-dan-patrick-223167?cmpid=sf>

“The White House fired back at Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday, after he declared the state would not be "blackmailed" by Obama's directive demanding that public schools allow transgender students to use the private facilities corresponding with their gender identity.

"’Well, I think this does underscore the risk of electing a right-wing radio host to elected statewide office,’" press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at the daily briefing.

“In addition to serving as the state's lieutenant governor since his 2014 election, Patrick has also hosted a radio show that airs in Texas.

“Earnest reiterated the contents of the letter sent by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to administrators of public school districts on Friday, emphasizing that the guidance does not add existing requirements to applicable law or require any student to use shared facilities when schools make alternative arrangements.

“Included in the guidance, which does not carry the force of law, is a threat to states by the administration to sue or revoke federal funding, particularly on education. "Well, in Texas, he can keep his 30 pieces of silver. We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States," Patrick told reporters earlier Friday.

“‘This is not an enforcement action,” Earnest said. “This is in response to extensive requests for guidance and for information and advice that have been put forward by “school administrators and teachers and in some cases, even parents, who are seeking practical solutions to this challenge.”

“And the challenge here is not to isolate anybody, it’s not to discriminate against anybody, it’s not to make anybody unsafe," Earnest said. "It’s actually to ensure that our schools are as inclusive and respectful and safe as they can possibly be.”

As far as whether schools would lose their funding, Earnest said he anticipated the majority of schools would "welcome this guidance and implement it."

"For those that don't, there's an established process for them to raise any concerns that they might have," Earnest said,

“Asked whether the mention of funding should be interpreted as an implied threat over a loss of federal funds, Earnest attempted to clarify.

“They should view this as guidance, as specific suggestions and a framework for dealing with a very straightforward challenge,” Earnest said.”

[Politico, May 13, 2016<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/transgender-bathrooms-white-house-dan-patrick-223167?cmpid=sf>]

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