Donald Trump has called on lawmakers to pass the Protect College Sports Act, warning: ‘If we don’t, we’re very foolish’
Trump insists America has ‘no choice’ but to act, with the Senate expected to vote on the issue on Friday before the start of a five-week recess.
The Protect College Sports Act addresses issues such as conference expansion, player transfers, coaching moves and the date of football’s national championship game.
But it has hit stumbling blocks in the Senate, with three Republican lawmakers filing an amendment out of fear that the bill offers a loophole to undo state laws keeping transgender athletes out of women’s sports.
‘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, Trump said on Thursday.
‘I think we have no choice… 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.
Donald Trump has called on lawmakers to pass the the Protect College Sports Act
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is among the biggest names in college sports
Trump was speaking at a reception for Team USA’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic heroes
‘We’re not going to let that be happening. We’re not going to let that happen to these great people and others.’
The president insisted his administration is ‘doing everything we can to protect the cherished sporting traditions that have long been a part of our nation.’
Trump was speaking during a White House reception for Team USA’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic heroes on Thursday. He honored athletes, coaches and staff for their performance at the Milan Cortina Games, adding: ‘The collegiate athletic system is the engine of American Olympic dominance.’
Trump continued: ‘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.’
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order entitled: ‘URGENT NATIONAL ACTION TO SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS.’
On Thursday, the White House also said in a statement: ‘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.’
