Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not backing down after pharmacy giant CVS has threatened to leave the state over a new state law targeting drug middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.
In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqAe_rGGNek">interview with The Daily Wire</a>, Sanders said she would not allow CVS, which owns one of the &#8220;Big Three&#8221; PBMs called Caremark, to &#8220;manipulate and control the market simply so that they keep a few stores in our state open.&#8221; 
“It shows where their priorities are,&#8221; the governor said over CVS&#8217;s response to the law. &#8220;They would rather own the PBM than keep their pharmacy open and provide care to the patients they claim to care about. I think it tells us everything that we need to know, that they care more about their bottom line.&#8221;
&#8220;Look, I&#8217;m all for private industry making money, but not on the backs of the people who really need access to care, really need access to some of these specialty drugs that they&#8217;re inflating the market on,&#8221; Sanders continued. 
The Republican told The Daily Wire that other pharmacies are willing to take CVS&#8217;s place if need be.
&#8220;We have a number of other pharmacies that I know will be happy to step up and take CVS’s place if they decide to take their ball and go home,&#8221; Sanders blasted. 
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-cvs-pharmacy-in-red-state-might-close-after-crackdown-on-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last month, CVS said it might have to close all 23 of its pharmacies in Arkansas over the new policy. The company issued similar threats before Sanders signed the bill into law in April.
The law in question is a first-in-the-nation targeting of PBMs, and is set to go into effect in January 2026. It bans PBMs from holding permits for prescription drug sales in Arkansas.
PBMs are supposed to lower drug prices for Americans. They act as middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurance companies, and pharmacies, and negotiate prices. 
However, over the last decade, PBMs have consolidated, and now there are just three companies overseeing prescriptions for more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html">270 million Americans</a>. They’ve been accused by both Republicans and Democrats of inflating prices for their own benefit and driving small pharmacies out of business. 
“What was happening is you have these pharmaceutical companies, they’re supposed to use PBMs to negotiate better drug prices between the insurance companies and the pharmacies,&#8221; Sanders explained. &#8220;But what was actually happening is the pharmacies were buying the PBMs and completely controlling and monopolizing the market. We call &#8217;em drug middlemen, because that’s exactly what they are.&#8221;
&#8220;They’re over-inflating prices and passing that inflation down to the consumer,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;You had three of the largest PBMs in the country controlling 80% of the pharmaceutical market – complete control allows them to charge more.” 
Sanders also stressed that this law in Arkansas is intended to help small pharmacies keep their doors open. PMBs reportedly pay lowball prices to small independent pharmacies, forcing many to close their doors. 
“We&#8217;re optimistic that prices will come down not only in our state, but also that our local pharmacies will be able to keep their doors open, which was another big priority for us, so that people in rural communities don&#8217;t lose that access to care,&#8221; Sanders said. 
In a statement sent to The Daily Wire on Wednesday, CVS called the law in question &#8220;harmful&#8221; and &#8220;unconstitutional.&#8221;
&#8220;We’ve filed a lawsuit to block Act 624, a harmful law that will shut down 23 CVS Pharmacy locations, eliminate hundreds of jobs, and drive-up costs for Arkansans,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;This unconstitutional law puts local politics ahead of patients, restricting their access to life-saving medications and undermining fair competition.&#8221;
The company notes its PBM reimbursing small independent pharmacies in the state more than it does CVS pharmacies.
About a month after Sanders signed the Arkansas bill, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting PBMs. The EO encourages direct consumer purchases, cutting out PBMs, and mandates more pricing transparency. 
Sanders said momentum is building across the country to tackle this issue. 
&#8220;I think the big thing here is that this isn&#8217;t just going to be something that takes place in Arkansas,&#8221; she said. &#8220;You&#8217;re seeing Louisiana look at passing similar legislation, New York, Texas, other states all over the country. It&#8217;s not even a Republican or Democrat issue. This is something that I think a lot of governors, as well as this president, are recognizing and actually taking action on something that&#8217;s been needed for a long time.” 
Sanders said she&#8217;s optimistic that consumers will have more access to prescription drugs and lower prices soon after this law goes into effect in 2026. 
WATCH the Morning Wire interview with Governor Sanders:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Illegal Immigrant Terror &amp; Lowering Drug Prices" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqAe_rGGNek?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This post has been updated to include comment from CVS. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-cvs-pharmacy-in-red-state-might-close-after-crackdown-on-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Every CVS Pharmacy In Red State Might Close After Crackdown On Drug Middlemen</a>

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Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave Arkansas

Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave State

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Last month, Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill banning drug middlemen from holding permits for prescription drug sales in the state. Now, CVS might have to close its pharmacies there.
The new law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2026, revokes permits for pharmacies affiliated with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The drug middlemen have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-known-health-care-middleman-is-becoming-more-powerful-independent-pharmacies-say-that-spells-disaster-for-patients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrutinized</a> by multiple states and even the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pharmacy-benefit-managers-marked-up-specialty-drugs-by-over-1000-ftc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a> in recent years, as locally owned independent pharmacies say they are subject to the dictates of PBMs, which give an unfair advantage to large pharmacy corporations such as CVS.
CVS — which owns pharmacy benefits manager, Caremark Rx — said over the weekend that it is &#8220;looking at all available options to stay open and continue to serve Arkansans&#8221; after Gov. Sanders signed the crackdown on PBMs. Beginning in 2026, CVS must either close all of its 23 locations in Arkansas or change its PBM business model, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette <a href="https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2025/may/24/cvs-says-its-looking-at-ways-to-keep-arkansas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;For far too long, drug middlemen called PBMs have taken advantage of lax regulations to abuse customers, inflate drug prices, and cut off access to critical medications. Not anymore,” <a href="https://www.medben.com/pbm-owned-pharmacies/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFor%20far%20too%20long%2C%20drug,House%20Bill%201150%20into%20law." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sanders after signing House Bill 1150 into law.
The three largest PBMs in the country —  which are owned by CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group — manage nearly 80% of prescription drug claims for all Americans, according to the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Trade Commission</a>. An FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-releases-second-interim-staff-report-prescription-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published in January found that &#8220;the three major pharmacy benefit managers hiked costs for a wide range of lifesaving drugs, including medications to treat heart disease and cancer.&#8221;
CVS ripped the new Arkansas legislation after it was signed by the governor, calling it &#8220;bad policy&#8221; that &#8220;forces the closures&#8221; of its pharmacies.
&#8220;The Governor and legislature have chosen to pass HB 1150 which forces the closure of all CVS pharmacy operations by 1/1/26 &#8212; this includes CVS Pharmacy, CVS Specialty, and Omnicare,&#8221; a company spokesman said. &#8220;Our stores and pharmacies remain open, and our teams are continuing to serve patients and customers.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=memorial&amp;utm_content=editorialmemorialday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Memorial Day Sale – Get 40% Off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Arkansas Pharmacy Association Chief Executive Officer John Vinson, who supported the legislation, told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette that there are steps for CVS to take to continue operating its pharmacies in Arkansas, such as giving up its PBM license in the state.
&#8220;There are ways to do it &#8230; if they don&#8217;t, they&#8217;re choosing the conflict and the business model over customers,&#8221; Vinson said.
Independent pharmacy owners told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-known-health-care-middleman-is-becoming-more-powerful-independent-pharmacies-say-that-spells-disaster-for-patients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last year that PBMs have a direct negative effect on local pharmacies, often paying them lowball prices for filling prescriptions. With PBMs putting their hands on the scales of the prescription drug industry, patients are also directed toward pricier options and charged steep markups, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
Other states, such as Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Carolina, have moved to regulate PBMs and reel in their control over the prescription drug industry. At the federal level, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/lowering-drug-prices-by-once-again-putting-americans-first/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order in April to improve transparency of &#8220;the direct and indirect compensation received by pharmacy benefit managers.&#8221;
Two bipartisan bills were <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-cantwell-reintroduce-bills-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices-drive-pbm-accountability#:~:text=Pharmacy%20Benefit%20Manager%20(PBM)%20Transparency,spread%20pricing%20and%20pharmacy%20fees." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reintroduced</a> in Congress earlier this year to &#8220;combat the high cost of prescription drugs and provide greater transparency of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).&#8221;
This article has been updated to remove a mention of Walgreens since Walgreens does not own a PBM and is not affected by the new law. We regret the error.

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Every CVS Pharmacy In Red State Might Close After Crackdown On Drug Middlemen

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Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders took a big step toward protecting her state from the Chinese Communist Party and other nefarious foreign agents.
She signed a bill demanding representatives acting on behalf of hostile foreign adversaries such as the People&#8217;s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea register publicly, disclose who bankrolls them, and spell out exactly what they are doing in Arkansas politics.
Although this foreign-agent registration is the first statute of its kind in the country, other legislatures should explore similar laws as a defense against hostile foreign actors and their agents covertly swaying policy or political activities at the state level.
Our country is facing a new kind of warfare waged through manipulation, money, and misinformation. Our adversaries are well-funded and coordinated, working relentlessly to sow division and destabilize our society. They’re attacking at the state and local level more and more, hiding behind layers of nonprofits and advocacy groups.
Take Students for Justice in Palestine, for example – a shadowy group that played a prominent role in riling up violent mobs on college campuses last year. This group and others like it (Within Our Lifetime, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Youth Movement, etc.) routinely accept secret money, raising concerns about potential support from hostile foreign actors.
Some of these organizations are not even registered as nonprofits, and alarmingly, many pro-Hamas groups have established local chapters on college campuses and receive funding from student activity fees.
The CCP perfected this playbook long ago. There are Confucius Institutes embedded on college campuses masquerading as language centers while disseminating the Party’s propaganda. Other groups such as Code Pink echo CCP talking points, attacking American energy policy and championing topics that align with China’s geopolitical objectives.
Research has shown that the CCP’s influence stretches far beyond college campuses. It targets state pension funds, critical infrastructure, farmland near military bases, and even municipal procurement of drones and surveillance tech. Every contract, endowment, or protest it bankrolls is another opportunity to steal American intellectual property, map supply chains, and erode public trust.
It’s no surprise the Federal Bureau of Investigation has labeled the Chinese Communist government a “grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States,” and national security agencies from some of our top allies have warned the CCP is engaging in the most “sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history.&#8221;
Arkansas has taken the first step in combating this foreign interference. The law will shine a spotlight on every foreign‑funded front group operating in the state. Agents who fail to register face stiff penalties; those tied to hostile nations risk even higher fines.
<div id="attachment_916433" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916433" class="size-large wp-image-916433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-865x576.jpg" alt="DustyPixel. Getty Images." width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-468385788-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />DustyPixel. Getty Images.</div>
The new law also strengthens campaign finance disclosure laws, exposing individuals and organizations seeking to undermine democratic values through covert influence operations. The law is singularly focused on hostile foreign actors; international businesses and lobbyists representing allied nations are unaffected.
It is encouraging that this effort is also a part of a larger “Communist China Defense” suite of bills from Governor Sanders, with proposals to divest state resources from China and ban land purchases near critical infrastructure.
These measures are a timely reminder that safeguarding our communities begins in the statehouse, not just in Washington. Other legislatures should move quickly to adopt similar protections and fortify America’s democracy and sovereignty against those determined to erode them.
 * * *
Joe Gebbia is the CEO and Founder of State Shield, an organization dedicated to educating state leaders and uniting state and federal efforts to combat the growing threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to America’s security, supply chains, and core values.
The views in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Arkansas Strikes First Blow Against Foreign Influence In U.S. Politics

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The White House will host a Friday roundtable on school choice with top Republican governors amid sweeping victories on the issue across the country, The Daily Wire has learned.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who spearheaded a major victory for school choice in her state after taking office, will moderate the National School Choice Week Roundtable at noon on Friday, according to a White House official. Also at the table will be Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee, where the legislature just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-passes-school-choice-milestone-in-advancing-education">passed a universal school choice bill</a>, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick of Texas, where <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/24/texas-senate-school-choice-vouchers-education-savings-accounts/">school choice legislation is also expected to pass</a>.
“The White House is excited to honor National School Choice Week with this roundtable,&#8221; a senior White House official told The Daily Wire. &#8220;President Donald Trump wants parents throughout the nation to be empowered to direct their children’s education.”
Universal school choice is a policy that gives parents access to public money to use towards a wide range of education options for their children, including private schools. Currently, three major bills on the topic are poised to become law in Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Twelve states already <a href="https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/the-unprecedented-rise-in-school-choice-a-new-era-in-american-education#:~:text=SCHOOL%20CHOICE%20WINS%20RECAP&amp;text=Tennessee%2C%20Utah%2C%20Vermont%2C%20Virginia,Washington%2C%20D.C.%2C%20allow%20charters.">offer</a> universal school choice: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina.
Republican governors Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Jeff Landry of Louisiana will be in attendance at the roundtable on Friday, which will take place in the Roosevelt Room, according to the White House official.
The roundtable comes two days after Trump signed an executive order on school choice, ordering his administration to develop a plan for how federal funds can be used to &#8220;expand education freedom for America&#8217;s families.&#8221;
&#8220;Parents want and deserve the best education for their children,&#8221; Trump said in the order. &#8220;But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school. It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.&#8221;
Other expected attendees include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and his wife Erika Donalds of the America First Policy Institute, Archdiocese of New York Chancellor John Cahill, Susquehanna International Group&#8217;s (SIG) Jeff Yass, and American Legislative Exchange Council&#8217;s Jonathan Williams.
Trump has consistently advocated for school choice in his time on the campaign trail and in government, emphasizing that he wants every American parent to be &#8220;empowered to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice.&#8221;
&#8220;A child’s fate should be determined by their love of education, by their parents, by so many factors,&#8221; he said on the campaign trail in 2024. &#8220;But it can’t be determined by a ZIP code. And no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government-run school.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_868671" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-emphasizes-need-for-fast-confirmations-in-wake-of-tragic-plane-crash/us-politics-trump-aviation-accident-2" rel="attachment wp-att-868671"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-868671" class="wp-image-868671 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/01/GettyImages-2196128096-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Photo by OLIVER CONTRERAS/AFP via Getty Images</div>
He also promised last year:  “I will support UNIVERSAL SCHOOL CHOICE. We will let federal education dollars follow the child instead of propping up a woke federal bureaucracy.”
During the 2016 presidential election, he similarly promised to establish a national goal of &#8220;providing school choice to every American child living in poverty.&#8221;
&#8220;If we can put a man on the moon, dig out the Panama Canal and win two world wars, then I have no doubt that we as a nation can provide school choice to every disadvantaged child in America,” he added in September 2016.
The roundtable will likely dive into some of the top legislation on school choice making headlines around the country.
That includes the Education Freedom Act, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-passes-school-choice-milestone-in-advancing-education">passed the Tennessee House</a> on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday, and would award over $7,000 per child to parents for those children to attend a K-12 private school.
In Texas, legislation <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/01/24/texas-senate-school-choice-vouchers-education-savings-accounts/">expected to pass soon</a> would allow universal school choice eligibility immediately, serving as many as 100,000 students in the first year and giving parents $10,000 for private schools, $11,500 for special needs students, and $2,000 for homeschool students.
In Wyoming, the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act <a href="https://wyofile.com/universal-school-voucher-bill-advances-amid-questions-of-accountability-constitutionality/">passed the House on Wednesday</a> and is expected to pass the Senate. That bill would give parents $7,000 per year for every student.

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EXCLUSIVE: White House Roundtable To Highlight School Choice With Top GOP Govs

EXCLUSIVE: First White House Roundtable To Highlight School Choice With Top GOP Govs

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Former President Donald Trump will hold a town hall event in the heavily Democratic city of Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday, September 17, as he seeks to flip the Great Lakes State back to red in November.
The town hall is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET and moderated by Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to the Trump campaign.
&#8220;After Michigan voters have been forced to suffer three and a half years of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden&#8217;s dangerously liberal policies, President Trump will meet with Michiganders to listen to their concerns and share his vision to make America affordable again,&#8221; Team Trump said in a statement.
&#8220;The auto industry is the backbone of Michigan&#8217;s economy, and Kamala Harris&#8217; actions have only shown that she will destroy it,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;If Kamala Harris has her way with a gas-powered car ban, Michigan will lose, at a minimum, 40,000 jobs. It&#8217;s painfully clear that Michiganders cannot afford four more years of Kamala Harris, and voters in the Great Lakes State are eager to hear how President Trump will lower inflation and protect the auto industry.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: President Trump to hold Flint, Michigan town hall next Tuesday at 7PM ET. <a href="https://t.co/qIMJIdLm27">pic.twitter.com/qIMJIdLm27</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1834270975933734973?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Biden-Harris administration <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/climate/biden-phase-out-gas-cars.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a rule earlier this year requiring auto manufacturers to produce more electric vehicles and tightened regulations on tail-pipe emissions, which target gas-powered vehicles. The Kamala Harris campaign attempted to distance the vice president from the administration&#8217;s policies, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/harris-camp-declines-clarify-whether-kamalas-values-have-shifted-ev-mandates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> last month that she &#8220;does not support an electric vehicle mandate.&#8221; During her first major interview as the Democratic nominee, however, Harris doubled down on her commitment to addressing the &#8220;climate crisis.&#8221;
&#8220;The most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,&#8221; she told CNN&#8217;s Dana Bash. &#8220;You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed, and I have worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time.&#8221;
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Flint, known as &#8220;Vehicle City&#8221; for its boom during the height of the auto industry in Michigan, is now a heavily Democratic area whose population has declined for decades. When Flint was at the center of a water crisis nearly a decade ago, Trump <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2016/09/a_look_back_at_donald_trumps_v.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled</a> to the city to tour the water plant. Trump&#8217;s motorcade in 2016 was met by angry Flint residents who told him to &#8220;go home.&#8221;
Trump lost Genesee County, where Flint is the largest city, to both Hillary Clinton in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016</a> and Joe Biden in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-michigan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020</a> by nearly 10 points. Michigan is a vital battleground state for Trump and Vice President Harris in the 2024 election. Polls currently show Harris barely leading Trump by less than one point in the state, according to the <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/michigan/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RealClearPolitics</a> average.

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Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during an interview this week that she believes this week&#8217;s presidential debate is going to be more important for Vice President Kamala Harris than former President Donald Trump because Harris has avoided answering questions and sitting down for interviews.
Sanders made the remarks during a Sunday interview on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week&#8221; while discussing how Trump is preparing for Tuesday&#8217;s debate.
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s actually more important for Vice President Harris, somebody who doesn&#8217;t speak to the media, doesn&#8217;t take questions &#8212; in fact, at the end of this interview, I will have done more interviews during this election cycle than she has since becoming the Democrat nominee for president,&#8221; Sanders said.
She continued, &#8220;It is absurd that she does not take questions from the press, from the American people, and so I think this is actually a much more important night for her because it&#8217;s so rare that we hear from her, that we hear her take questions, or that we know anything that she actually stands for.&#8221;
Sanders said that Trump has been preparing every day for the debate throughout the entire campaign cycle because he travels around the country, talks to voters, and answers media questions often.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724361346607000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ZhyOQfEkxcMH_D1Ago3CQ">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
&#8220;He&#8217;ll go in game-time ready just as he does for every interview, every rally that he does. This is not something that is a heavy lift for him,&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s why you&#8217;re hearing so much about the preparation for Vice President Harris because this isn&#8217;t something she does very often, and I think she has a lot to get ready for, and I don&#8217;t think that she&#8217;s up to the challenge, in large part, not just because I don&#8217;t know that she&#8217;s a great debater, but she&#8217;s so wrong on the issues that Americans care about, and she has a terrible track record to talk about.&#8221;
Sanders said that Trump will enter the debate from a position of strength because of his record as president while Harris has been tied to foreign policy disasters, the inflation crisis, and the border crisis.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump will show up at the debate ‘from a position of strength’: Gov. Sarah Sanders" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEIJ7LBwTJE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2024 Republican National Convention

Governor Sanders: Presidential Debate Is Far More Important For Harris Than Trump

2024

Debate

Kamala Harris

U.S.

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arkansas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arkansas</a> Supreme Court rejected a last ditch effort from a leftist group seeking to get an abortion amendment added to the November ballot that would roll back pro-life protections.
On Thursday, the court ruled 4-3 against a challenge from the pro-abortion Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG) to Secretary of State John Thurston’s decision to reject their amendment liberalizing the state’s abortion laws from the ballot. Thurston rejected the ballot initiative last month, saying that the group failed to disclose who it had paid to gather 14,143 of the signatures it collected in support of ballot placement.
“This court is being asked to order another constitutional officer, the Arkansas Secretary of State, to ignore a mandatory statutory provision that he has enforced,” the majority wrote. “That is not the proper role of the court.”
“We find that the secretary correctly refused to count the signatures collected by paid canvassers because the sponsor failed to file the paid canvasser training certification,” the majority added.
The ballot <a href="https://ag-opinions.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024-004.pdf">initiative</a> would have added exceptions to existing Arkansas abortion law for rape, incest, and fetal anomaly, as well as instituting a right to an abortion up to 18 weeks after conception. At <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/fetal-development/art-20046151">18 weeks</a>, an unborn baby’s digestive system begins working and they can hear sounds.
Dissenting Justices Karen Baker and Courtney Rae Hudson <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/22/arkansas-supreme-court-blocks-abortion-measure-00175823" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> that Thurston had manufactured a reason to reject the proposed amendment.
“This requirement was made up out of whole cloth,” they wrote. “Regnat Populus — The People Rule — is the motto of Arkansas. Today’s decision strips every Arkansan of this power.”
Thurston said that his office was only following the law when it rejected the amendment.
“During the electoral process, my staff maintained the highest professional standards and did not allow partisan politics or misinformation to deter them from their duty to comply with the law,” he said in a <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/mid-south/arkansas-abortion-amendment-reaction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “I am dedicated to my calling to serve Arkansans and will continue to do so.”
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The court’s ruling was praised by GOP Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
“Proud I helped build the first conservative Supreme Court majority in the history of Arkansas and today that court upheld the rule of law, and with it, the right to life,” she <a href="https://x.com/SarahHuckabee/status/1826675980246949938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
Other red states like Florida and South Dakota will have abortion rights on the ballot in 2024, while abortion measures are pending in other conservative states like Missouri and Montana.

Supreme Court Hears Mississippi Abortion Case

Arkansas Supreme Court Rejects Effort From Leftist Group To Put Abortion On November Ballot

Abortion

Courts

Pro-Life Movement

While the gender theorists fumble around trying to answer the “What is a Woman?” question, Sarah Huckabee Sanders answered it with a clarion call at the Republican National Convention. Her words were beautifully woven with the purpose of femininity.
First, she honored Trump. Second, she lifted the name of God. And third, she emphasized her greatest role as a mother. 
Dressed in a cherry red dress and exuding pride in her country, Sanders praised Trump as an example of courage under fire while reminding us he is a father of five and grandfather of ten. With confidence and dignity, she modeled wisdom for younger women, which is what mothers are supposed to do. Not only is Sanders America’s youngest governor and the first female to lead “the great state of Arkansas,” but she is also the first mother to have served as White House Press Secretary, where she fielded attacks from the Left with unflinching grace.
“America was safer under Donald Trump,” she announced at the RNC, reminding the world what is top-of-mind for women: our safety and security. “The Left doesn’t care about empowering women,” she stated plainly, “Biden and Harris can’t even tell you what a woman is.” That is the God-honest truth.
While researching the creation of woman over the past few years, I discovered that not only is being a “man” an action — laying down one’s life to lift the woman at his side — but being a woman is an action too. It is the exact action Huckabee took in May of this year when she signed biological sex into law, defying Biden’s rewriting of Title IX to advance radical gender ideology. The action of womanhood is to speak on behalf of the vulnerable and to course-correct mankind when we are headed in the wrong direction.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/what-is-a-woman" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: Matt Walsh&#8217;s documentary &#8220;What is a Woman?&#8221; on DailyWire+</a></h4>
The word male in biblical Hebrew, zakar, means to remember who God is, what He says, and live it out. Men are responsible to carry the human family on their shoulders. Part of our purpose as women is to help them walk in that identity. While men lift us, women lift the home and family and stabilize mankind. Together, we pass on the ways of God to the next generation.
In her Executive Order to Protect Women and Girls, Huckabee achieved this purpose by revisiting the original meaning of Title IX: to protect women, not harm them. When Title IX was passed into law in 1972, it was a succinct 37 words. Biden’s unilateral rewriting of Title IX resulted in 459,804 nonsensical words that divorce human beings from biological reality and put women at risk. Sanders unapologetically declared, it “turns back the clock on women’s opportunities, erodes student privacy, threatens women’s sports, and erases women,” which we can’t ignore. 
With unflinching accuracy, she called Biden on the carpet, saying it is “plainly ridiculous” for men to compete in women’s sports, receive access to women’s and girls’ locker rooms and private spaces, and snap away our scholarships. She lambasted this administration for rejecting reality and appeasing their Left-wing base over student’s safety. 
“The government should celebrate, not erase, sex differences by providing proper protections for them,” she said, plain and simple–while making it illegal in Arkansas to force the use of inaccurate pronouns. She re-established “male and female” as the one and only definition of sex in her state. It’s refreshing and simple. The result of her measure? Girls in Arkansas don’t have to compete against boys. Their sports are safe; their locker rooms are safe; and their scholarships are safe. In Arkansas, political ideology doesn’t define sex; God does. Boom. That’s a woman for you.
<div id="attachment_767531" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-767531" class="size-large wp-image-767531" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2161733599-864x576.jpg" alt="Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Former President Donald Trump tapped JD Vance as his running mate, elevating to the Republican presidential ticket a venture capitalist-turned-senator whose embrace of populist politics garnered national attention and made him a rising star in the party. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2161733599-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2161733599-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2161733599-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/07/GettyImages-2161733599.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
Real women know we are worthy of protection. Real women honor God, men, and children. And real women speak up when it matters.
The question remains why every Right-thinking governor in the United States hasn’t followed her wise example. What would happen if strong mothers and fathers stood united as a dividing wall between children and gender ideology? What would happen? Our daughters would be safe; our sons’ bodies and minds would be preserved; and children would know they are our first priority.
In her speech to the RNC, Sanders lived up to the timeless definition of womanhood exhibited in Proverbs 8:2: “At the crossroads, she [wisdom] takes her stand.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are not called to stand still in the face of great danger. You and I were put on this earth at a moment in time to charge boldly ahead,” Sanders said. I hope all women will follow her example. If they do, Matthew Arnold’s words will be fulfilled: “If there ever comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known.”
What is a woman? We are daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, and grandmothers. We value strong, sacrificial fathers and raise warrior sons. We protect our daughters no matter the cost. And when the world is headed in the wrong direction, we stand up — maybe even wearing a beautiful red dress — and embrace the power of the feminine voice.
Let’s not forget that in the Book of Proverbs, Wisdom is a She.
* * *
Jennifer Strickland is former international model, TEDx speaker, host of the I AM A WOMAN podcast, and an eight-time author, including titles such as Girl Perfect, Beautiful Lies, and her most recent release, <a href="http://iamawoman.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I Am a Woman: Taking Back Our Name</a>. She has worked with women of all ages for over 20 years through her ministry, U R More, and passionately aims to educate women, girls, men, and boys about the biblical truth of our identity.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

The 2024 Republican National Convention

How Sarah Huckabee Sanders Defined The Word Woman At The RNC

Bible

gender ideology

Readers Pass

Republican National Convention

Republicans

Title IX

Women

Women's sports

Former White House Press Secretary — and current Governor of Arkansas — Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered &#8220;the speech of the night&#8221; on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Liberal CNN commentator Van Jones praised the GOP governor during a panel discussion recapping the convention&#8217;s second day and argued that her stories had been relatable and very &#8220;moving.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jones: Sarah Huckabee Sanders.. She was incredibly compelling… It was moving and powerful <a href="https://t.co/DZX6WJRBOO">pic.twitter.com/DZX6WJRBOO</a>
— Acyn (@Acyn) <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1813417920263049620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Sarah Huckabee Sanders, she was incredibly compelling to me,&#8221; Jones began. &#8220;She told a — she told personal stories that landed, you know, there’s a sense of aggrievement, I think that conservatives feel, that liberal culture demeans them, attacks them, cancels them. She didn’t use rhetoric. She told a personal story, and it was moving and it was powerful.&#8221;
&#8220;And I think having a southern storyteller to bring that stuff home worked really, really well for them. So I think she gave the speech of the night,&#8221; Jones said.
Sanders brought the house down early on with a crack aimed at President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
&#8220;I got the chance to take my four-year-old son Huck to &#8216;bring your kid to work day,&#8217; much like Jill now drags Joe to &#8216;bring your husband to work day,'&#8221; she quipped.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the RNC: &#8220;I got the chance to take my 4-year-old son Huck to &#8216;Bring Your Kid To Work Day,&#8217; much like Jill now drags Joe to &#8216;Bring Your Husband To Work Day.'&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Fq7QCj5GTw">pic.twitter.com/Fq7QCj5GTw</a>
— jordan (@JordanUhl) <a href="https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/1813400752968372413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And the conclusion to her speech drew even more cheers and applause: &#8220;With God as our guide and President Trump back in the White House, we will show the world that America is the place where freedom reigns and liberty will never die.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
With God as our guide and Trump as our President, freedom reigns and liberty will never die! <a href="https://t.co/OmkwWMA110">pic.twitter.com/OmkwWMA110</a>
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahHuckabee/status/1813423756854923437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

‘Incredibly Compelling’: CNN’s Van Jones Says Sarah Sanders Delivered ‘The Speech Of The Night’

'Incredibly Compelling': CNN's Van Jones Says Sarah Sanders Delivered 'The Speech Of The Night'

Jill Biden

Joe Biden

Media

Van Jones

Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston on Wednesday rejected an effort from pro-abortion activists to place an initiative on the November ballot to amend the state Constitution to roll back pro-life protections.  
In a <a href="https://x.com/lbengilmore/status/1811119926066958457" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the pro-abortion group Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG), Thurston said that the group failed to comply with state requirements to qualify for ballot placement. 
Thurston said that the group did not disclose who it paid to gather 14,143 of the signatures it collected in support of ballot placement and invalidated those signatures, meaning the group would be 3,322 signatures short of the required 90,704 needed to qualify. 
“The first part of our review is to ensure that the sponsor has complied with all statutory requirements for submitting a petition,”  Thurston said. “Because you failed at this first step, it is my duty to reject your submission.”
The ballot <a href="https://ag-opinions.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024-004.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">initiative</a> would have added exceptions to existing Arkansas abortion law for rape, incest, and fetal anomaly, as well as instituting a right to an abortion up to 18 weeks after conception. At <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/fetal-development/art-20046151" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18 weeks</a>, an unborn baby’s digestive system begins working and they can hear sounds. 
AFLG <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/10/us/politics/arkansas-abortion-amendment.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that it would review the letter and fight Thurston’s decision. 
“As I have long said, changing the Arkansas Constitution involves a rigorous process, as it should, and it requires sponsors to adhere to all applicable laws and rules,” Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin <a href="https://www.kark.com/news/politics/lawmakers-respond-to-arkansas-secretary-of-state-john-thurston-rejecting-abortion-ballot-petitions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “In this instance, the sponsors failed to follow the law, specifically a simple and straightforward affidavit requirement that other ballot committees followed.”
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Pro-life Republicans in the state celebrated the news of the rejection. 
“Today the far left pro-abortion crowd in Arkansas showed they are both immoral and incompetent,” Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. 
“This is a great day for all Arkansans. Our unborn babies will continue to be protected and the next generation will receive the educational freedom they deserve,&#8221; Senate Majority Leader Blake Johnson said. 
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, pro-abortion activists have moved to implement abortion rights into state constitutions through ballot initiatives. They have done so in multiple states, including Republican-dominated Ohio. Red states like Florida and South Dakota will have abortion rights on the ballot in 2024, while abortion measures are pending in other conservative states like Missouri and Montana.

Arkansas State Capitol building Little Rock

Arkansas Rejects Bid From Leftist Activists To Put Abortion On 2024 Ballot

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders rolled out a proposal on Tuesday to incentivize schools in the state to ban cell phones from the classroom, according to a letter sent to schools across the state obtained by The Daily Wire.
The idea is to improve students&#8217; mental health by separating them from their phones, temporarily removing any anxiety their phones cause, encouraging in-person social interaction with friends, and fostering a better learning environment. &#8220;The program will address the symptoms of youth mental illness as well as one of its largest causes: screen addiction and social media,&#8221; Sanders said.
The grant program will cover the cost of putting a cell phone ban into place, providing schools with secure pouches for students to store their phones during the school day. All Arkansas school districts are invited to join the pilot program, the governor and Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva wrote in a letter to school superintendents.
&#8220;We have made this a priority in our Administration, and we are committing state resources to help with this crisis,&#8221; Sanders and Olive said. &#8220;To that end, we are excited to announce a pilot program focused on two key priorities: restricting in-school phone use and mental healthcare. We invite your district to join this statewide effort.&#8221; 
Sanders notes that youth depression, anxiety, and isolation have risen across the country, and that the average American teen now spends nearly five hours a day on social media, often while in school. Meanwhile, the teen suicide rate has spiked since smartphones became widespread, as has self-harm among girls especially. Teen math, reading, and science scores have dropped across the country.
&#8220;That&#8217;s five hours a day not with friends, not outside, and not learning,&#8221; Sanders said in a video announcing the program. &#8220;The facts are grim, but there are things we can do to help.&#8221;
&#8220;Big Tech created an addicting product and marketed it to the most impressionable population out there, our kids,&#8221; she said.
Sanders has <a href="https://freebeacon.com/politics/how-sarah-sanders-put-arkansas-on-republicans-radar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emphasized</a> education during her administration, saying she hopes to be known as the &#8220;Education Governor.&#8221; She successfully pushed Arkansas&#8217; legislature to pass a universal school choice bill that also removed obscene sexual materials and critical race theory from classrooms, established new education standards, and raised teacher pay.
Sanders also led Arkansas in passing a law requiring minors to get parental permission to sign up for a social media account, although that law was blocked by a federal judge.
Public schools that participate in Arkansas&#8217; new program will be rewarded with additional funding, including extra funding for telehealth mental health services. They will also get extra support in navigating mental and behavioral health care, substance abuse care, and social services for students, families, and school employees, as well as help with navigating insurance.
Last month, Sanders and the state education secretary met with several Arkansas superintendents and took their recommendations into account when crafting the program, the governor&#8217;s office said. The grant program will be available for schools next academic year.

Mike Huckabee And Sarah Huckabee Sanders Visits “The Story With Martha MacCallum”

EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Sanders Launches Push For Cell Phone-Free Schools In Arkansas

Sarah Sanders Announces New Phone Free Schools Program For Arkansas

Children

Education

Mental Health

Public Schools

Social Media

Technology

Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders (R) is ordering her state to follow state law over the Biden administration&#8217;s new interpretation of Title IX, prohibiting men from competing in women&#8217;s sports.
In an executive order obtained by The Daily Wire that Sanders will unveil on Thursday afternoon, the governor slams the Biden administration for its attempt &#8220;to unilaterally rewrite federal law to advance its radical gender ideology against women and girls.&#8221; Sanders calls it a &#8220;plainly ridiculous change&#8221; and says it will lead to biological males &#8220;unfairly competing&#8221; against females and violating their bathroom privacy.
Earlier this month, Biden&#8217;s Education Department unveiled new Title IX regulations blocking schools from enforcing blanket bans on transgender-identifying males in girls’ sports. Title IX is the 1972 federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. The new rules are set to take effect in August.
In her order, Sanders said female students must not be denied equal athletic opportunities or forced to risk their safety by playing with biological males. The order also says Arkansas public schools must not force students to shower or undress with members of the opposite sex, and should abide by state law that guarantees their privacy, the order says.
Arkansas policy is that &#8220;sex is an immutable characteristic of the human body, rooted in biology and the created order,&#8221; and &#8220;the government should celebrate, not erase, sex differences by providing proper protections for them,&#8221; the order says.
The order also says students and public school employees may not be forced to use &#8220;false pronouns,&#8221; citing the First Amendment.
Sanders ordered the Arkansas education department to provide &#8220;specific guidance&#8221; on how to enforce Arkansans&#8217; rights &#8220;despite&#8221; Biden&#8217;s &#8220;unlawful&#8221; new Title IX rules.
&#8220;At no point should Arkansas law be ignored,&#8221; the order reads.
&#8220;The Biden administration’s facially absurd redefinition of sex in Title IX turns back the clock on women’s opportunities, erodes student privacy, threatens women’s sports, and erases women,&#8221; Sanders&#8217; order reads. &#8220;The Biden administration redefines &#8216;sex&#8217; to fit its own absurd political ideology — not science — and imposes it on women, girls, and children.&#8221;
The administration has &#8220;rejected reality and chosen to appease their left-wing base over students’ safety and best interests,&#8221; the order says.
Riley Gaines, former NCAA championship swimmer, will speak at the executive order&#8217;s announcement. Gaines is a vocal advocate for women’s sports who argues that trans-identifying males should not be allowed to compete alongside women and girls.
Sanders also warned that Arkansas is prepared to sue the Biden administration if schools lose any funding due to the new regulations. At least nine states have already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-states-file-flurry-of-lawsuits-against-biden-admin-over-transgender-title-ix-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> lawsuits over the new rules.
The full text of the order obtained by The Daily Wire can be read below:
<blockquote>
E.O. 24-06:       EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROTECT ARKANSAS STUDENTS, WOMEN, AND GIRLS
WHEREAS:   Title IX was signed into law in 1972 and contained a succinct 37 words;
WHEREAS:    Title IX was passed to protect women, not harm them;
WHEREAS:    The Biden administration is attempting to unilaterally rewrite federal law to advance its radical gender ideology against women and girls;
WHEREAS:    On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education released its final rule, in a document with a staggering 459,804 words, “reinterpreting” Title IX;
=WHEREAS:    The new Title IX rule will unilaterally expand the long-standing prohibition based on “sex” discrimination to include “gender identity”;
WHEREAS:    The Biden administration redefines “sex” to fit its own absurd political ideology—not science—and imposes it on women, girls, and children;
WHEREAS:    The Government should celebrate sex differences between men and women – not erase them. See Executive Order 23-30 to Eliminate Woke, Anti-Women Words from State Government and Respect Women, signed October 19, 2023;
WHEREAS:    The Biden administration’s facially absurd redefinition of sex in Title IX turns back the clock on women’s opportunities, erodes student privacy, threatens women’s sports, and erases women;
WHEREAS:    The Biden administration’s rewriting of Title IX discrimination on the basis of “sex” to include discrimination on the basis of “gender identity” is a plainly ridiculous change that will lead to males unfairly competing in women’s sports; receiving access to women’s and girls’ locker rooms, bathrooms, and private spaces; and competing for women’s scholarships;
WHEREAS:   The Biden administration has rejected reality and chosen to appease their left-wing base over students’ safety and best interests;
WHEREAS:    “Sex” has long been understood as binary biological characteristics – male (an individual who has, will, or would but for a medical abnormality produce the male reproductive gamete) or female (an individual who has, will, or would but for a medical abnormality produce the female reproductive gamete);
WHEREAS:    The Arkansas legislature has defined sex in Act 317 of 2023, on the basis of biology;
WHEREAS:    The Arkansas legislature has enacted law, Act 317 of 2023, ensuring that public schools designate restrooms based on sex;
WHEREAS:    Act 317 of 2023 further ensures that students share sleeping quarters with students of the same sex or are provided with single-occupancy sleeping quarters;
WHEREAS:    The Arkansas legislature enacted law in Act 461 of 2021, Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, that mandates that when schools choose to make a designation, they must do so based on biological sex – male or female;
WHEREAS:    The Arkansas legislature enacted law in Act 542 of 2023, the “Given Name Act,” which makes clear that employees of public schools and state-supported institutions of higher education do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at work;
WHEREAS:   The State of Arkansas will pursue legal action, to the extent available by law, from the Biden Administration for any financial loss, including loss of funding, incurred by the state due to the passage of the Biden administration’s unscientific agendas;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, acting under the authority vested in me as the Governor of the State of Arkansas, do hereby proclaim:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">It is declared to be the policy of this state that sex is an immutable characteristic of the human body, rooted in biology and the created order. The government should celebrate, not erase, sex differences by providing proper protections for them.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The educational institutions of Arkansas will continue to enforce state law guaranteeing the right of students to maintain their privacy. Students must not be forced to shower or undress with members of the opposite sex.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Female students must not be denied equal athletic opportunities or forced to risk their safety by having biological males placed into female-designated sports leagues.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Students and employees of Arkansas’ educational institutions may not be forced to use false pronouns. The right to refuse to speak a lie is guaranteed in the First Amendment. My administration will continue to protect this fundamental right.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">All accused individuals must be given robust, traditional due process rights if they are accused of harassment under the Biden Title IX Amendment.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">The Arkansas Department of Education is ordered to provide specific guidance on how to enforce the rights of Arkansans to equal opportunity, free speech, due process, and privacy under the U.S. Constitution, Title IX, and state law, despite the Biden administration’s unlawful administrative rule. At no point should Arkansas law be ignored.</li>
</ol>
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 2nd day of May, in the year of our Lord 2024.
</blockquote>

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Sanders Orders Arkansas To Follow State Law Over Biden’s ‘Plainly Ridiculous’ Title IX Rules

Sarah Sanders Orders Arkansas To Follow State Law Over Biden's New Title IX Rules: 'Plainly Ridiculous Change'

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