House Rejects GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Attempt To Reduce Transgender HHS Official’s Salary To $1

The House of Representatives voted to protect a transgender official in President Joe Biden‘s administration and rejected an amendment put forth by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The proposed amendment aimed to reduce the salary of the U.S. Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The amendment, which sought to reduce Levine’s salary, was ultimately dismissed by the Republican members of the House.

House Press Gallery shared on X, “The House rejected @MTG Amd’t #103 by a vote of 170-254-1 present.”

Earlier this week, Greene announced her amendment on the House floor.

“My amendment uses the Holman rule (an amendment to appropriations legislation that can reduce the salary of or fire specific federal employees) to reduce…the salary of assistant secretary for health Richard Levine to $1, the same way he supports castrating children who suffer from gender dysphoria,” Greene wrote, using Levine’s incorrect first name and gender. “It is our job to protect our children from sexual groomers like Levine and reducing his salary to $1 is a strong first step.”

The amendment was rejected by 46 Republicans and 208 Democrats, while 170 Republican House members voted in favor of the amendment.

Following the amendment’s failure, Greene wrote, “Apparently there are some Republicans who think Dick Levine, a mentally ill man pretending to be a woman, deserves to keep his job as Assistant HHS Secretary.” 

She added, “They don’t want to fire him even though he supports the genital mutilation of children, mandating a COVID vaccine for kids, and pushes for men to dominate women in sports.”

The Congressional Equality Caucus condemned Greene.  

“It’s disgusting that this amendment specifically targeted the 1st openly transgender Senate-confirmed federal official,” they said in a statement.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra also followed up the vote with a post to X that read, “HHS and I unequivocally stand with our @HHS_ASH Admiral Rachel Levine & the community she serves as a role model for. There’s no room for bigotry in our public discourse. We won’t tolerate any attacks on the LGBTQI+ community, their right to access care and to be who they are.”

Levine is a pediatrician and the 17th assistant Secretary for Health since March 26, 2021.