Republicans, Democrats divided over Biden White House's controversial Pride Month tweet
Lawmakers react to a White House video message declaring LGBTQ youth are "all our kids."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Lawmakers were divided on the White House's controversial tweet declaring that LGBTQ youth are "all our kids," in a recent nod to Pride Month.
"These are our kids," President Biden said in the video. "These are our neighbors. Not somebody else's kids; they're all our kids. And our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft. It matters a great deal how we treat everyone in this country. LGBTQ Americans, especially children, you are loved, you are heard, and this administration has your back."
"I think the Biden White House is going too far into the culture wars and should be a little more neutral because supposedly he represents the whole country," Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., told Fox News Digital in response.
Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas, ripped Biden's statement as "bad precedence."
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"I think that's a bad precedence to set and push," Estes said. "Parents really have the responsibility to raise your kids, and you shouldn't be looking at the federal government trying to take over and dictate what kids' lives are."
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said while he didn't particularly care about the White House's message, he did care about new legislation he's working on that would serve as a "Hyde Amendment" of sorts to strip federal funding for hospitals that perform "gender-affirming care."
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, reacts to President Biden saying LGBTQ youth are "all our kids." (Fox News Digital)
"I don't really care about that statement, in particular," Crenshaw told Fox News Digital of Biden's remarks. "What I care about is, what I'm working on right now, is what I would call Republicans' new Hyde Amendment. No more federal funding going to hospitals that are performing these gender-affirming therapies - hormone therapies, puberty blockers, surgical interventions - that's what I care about. The White House says a lot of crazy stuff, so it doesn't really surprise me."
"This is a human rights issue at this point," he continued. "And this is the hill we've got to die on."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said that as the mother of a trans child, she supports Biden's sentiment.
"Of course," Jayapal, co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force, said. "I'm the mom of a trans kid and I think these are all our kids."
In March, Jayapal helped re-introduce the Transgender Bill of Rights, a resolution that provides "a comprehensive policy framework to provide protections for transgender and nonbinary people, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their gender identity or expression," according to a press release.
"I think the moral way of thinking about children is that children belong to all of us, and we're all responsible for the fate of all our kids," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., similarly said.
American flags and a pride flag hang from the White House before a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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"Republicans and Democrats alike care about our children," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. "To say otherwise is disingenuous and dishonest to the American people, and to half the country who are Republicans. I think where I personally as a mom draw the line is that I don't want to see underage children who can't give consent injected with hormones and drugs and sterilize them. Or get them to a point where they make a decision that they regret as an adult."
Mace added that it was a "reasonable position" to believe in allowing children to "go through the natural process of life and make those life-altering decisions as adults so they don't harm themselves."
"I think politicians should really stay out of that stuff," Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said of the Biden tweet. "I don't think we should be making that statement at all, especially with something so controversial. And at the end of the day, what we really need to do is, let kids be kids, not use them as political tools, political weapons. Let them grow up. Make sure that they understand that there's a lot that they need to learn and work through, and not bring politics into it. I think kids being a part of this thing is the worst thing."
President Joe Biden speaks at the Pride Month 2023 event held on the White House lawn, June 10, 2023. (White House)
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Prominent newsmakers like Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign also weighed in on the tweet, both blasting the White House's narrative.
"Our kids are not fodder for the government," Musk said.
"They are not your kids," the DeSantis campaign wrote on Twitter, sharing screenshots from the White House clip.
Fox News' Agustin Hays, Nikolas Lanum and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
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