The Latest: Senate votes on amendments to Trump’s big bill ahead of July 4 deadline

Possible changes to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts are being considered in what’s called a vote-a-rama, though most of the amendments are expected to fail.

After a weekend of setbacks, the Senate is rushing Monday to move ahead with the bill despite a series of challenges.

The hours ahead will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of Congress and are racing against Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline. The 940-page “ One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it is now formally titled, has consumed Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board.

Here's the latest:

The Capitol was abuzz at dinnertime as senators continued proceedings on Republicans’ sweeping tax and spending bill.

Card games were played in the reception room, cigars were smoked on the balcony, and many boxes of pizza were carried through the halls of Congress. Many energy drink cans and iced coffees were in hand by all present. Groans about the process, which is likely to extend well into the morning, could be heard from staffers and senators alike.

Some Democrats, who are lobbing one protest amendment after another at the bill, took breaks in hideaways throughout the Capitol to vent with each other and rest.

GOP senators took breaks from the Senate floor as well. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, of Alabama, smoked a cigar on the Capitol terrace at sunset. Other GOP senators took calls and chatted in rooms near the Senate chamber.

This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Tuberville's name.

Nearly 12 hours after voting began, the Senate floor remained largely idle Monday evening. Senators have been voting on amendments, but none have passed. While senators have mingled on the floor, most negotiations have taken place behind closed doors.

Republicans have repeatedly expressed hope for a final vote around midnight, but that timeline was in jeopardy late into the evening. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there was still a chance to wrap things up before day’s end but added they were still “trying to construct a list” of what each senator wants.

The tech billionaire has said that he’s getting out of politics, but his X posts tell a different story.

On Monday, the tech billionaire and former DOGE chief lashed out multiple times at Republicans for backing Trump’s tax cuts bill, calling the GOP “the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for including a provision that would raise the nation’s debt limit by $5 trillion and calling the bill “political suicide” for Republicans.

After a post pledging to work toward primarying members of Congress who backed the bill, Musk responded “I will” to a post in which former Michigan Rep. Justin Amash asked for Musk’s support of Thomas Massie.

Trump aides are already honed in on the Kentucky Republican for voting against the measure, launching a new super PAC devoted to defeating him.

Musk spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the presidential campaign, as the main contributor to America PAC. In May, he said he would likely spend “a lot less” on politics in the future.

The president ordered his top cabinet officers to examine current sanctions on Cuba and come up with ways to tighten them within 30 days.

In a memorandum sent to the State, Treasury, Commerce, Interior, Agriculture departments and virtually every other federal agency on Monday, Trump said the reviews should focus on Cuba’s treatment of dissidents, its policies directed at dissidents and how it allows money from the U.S. to be sent into the country through remittances from Cuban Americans living in the U.S.

In one potential significant change, the order said the U.S. should look for ways to shut down all tourism to the island and also to restrict educational tours to groups that are organized and run only by American citizens.

The move is not a surprise given that Trump has previously said he plans to rescind the easing of sanctions and other penalties in Cuba that were instituted during President Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s terms in office.

Even as Elon Musk attacked them on social media, Republican senators tried to remain diplomatic and avoid hitting back at the former top Trump adviser.

“At the end of the day, you know, we should be thankful for the work that he did,” GOP Sen. Jim Justice said. “But I’m sure Elon’s got a real ego, and sometimes egos can really clash.”

Musk on social media said Republicans who vote for the current form of Trump’s big bill “will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.” Among those up for reelection is Sen. Joni Ernst, who is also chair of the Senate DOGE caucus.

“I really appreciate what Elon has done with our DOGE work, and we’re going to keep working on that with various rescissions packages,” Ernst told reporters. “But at the end of the day what we also don’t want is a $4.3 trillion tax increase on American taxpayers.”

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, the two-term senator who announced his retirement Sunday after clashing with Trump over his tax breaks and spending cuts bill, said he would likely get involved in the GOP primary for his replacement.

“I’ve run successful two statewide races, and I got a pretty good idea of the profile you need to win,” Tillis told The Associated Press.

Ideally, Tillis said, Senate Republicans and the White House would land on a GOP candidate who could navigate both a primary and the general election in North Carolina. The swing state will likely be home to the most competitive Senate race in next year’s midterm elections.

One candidate Tillis does not want as the nominee: Mark Robinson, the former lieutenant governor who ran for the state’s top job last year.

“He would probably lose by a larger margin than he did the last time,” Tillis said, speculating that Trump would likely not endorse Robinson again.

Police say 38 people protesting the Republican tax and spending cut bill being considered in the Senate have been arrested so far Monday at the U.S. Capitol.

The arrests took place at two sites, inside the Capitol Rotunda and at an intersection near the Capitol, U.S. Capitol Police said. Those arrested were charged with crowding, obstructing and incommoding.

A group called Repairers of the Breach said in a statement that their members led the effort. They said the demonstration continues a tradition of nonviolent actions at the Capitol confronting unjust policies and calling the nation to higher ground.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg used Facebook to implore voters to step up to Trump’s bill of tax breaks and spending cuts while there is still time.

“If there was ever a time to call your Senator, this is it. Voting has begun on the GOP plan to cut off health care for working-class Americans and slash taxes for the wealthiest,” he said. “This bill would kick millions off their health insurance, and thousands will even lose their lives - unless we stop it in its tracks. Some Republicans are breaking ranks, showing it’s not too late. Time to speak up!”

Lawyers for the Trump administration and immigrants are sparring in court over whether the president can use an 18th century wartime act against the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.

The case before the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, during the War of 1812 and the two world wars. Trump invoked it in March against Tren de Aragua, which he claims is acting as an arm of the Venezuelan government.

The ACLU and other groups sued, saying that was improper.

▶ Read more about the tangled legal battle

As the Senate prepared to vote on the major bill Monday, Democrats introduced an amendment to ban the president and his family from directly or indirectly issuing or profiting from cryptocurrencies.

“No elected official should be able to run a crypto scheme to sell influence and enrich themselves,” Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley said.

Republicans rejected the measure along party lines. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a key GOP crypto supporter, said it would have stifled innovation.

The issue has divided the chamber all year, as cryptocurrency legislation has advanced without confronting potential financial gains for Trump and his family.

Lawyers for the Trump administration and immigrants are sparring in court over whether the president can use an 18th century wartime act against the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.

The case before the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, during the War of 1812 and the two world wars. Trump invoked it in March against Tren de Aragua, which he claims is acting as an arm of the Venezuelan government.

The ACLU and other groups sued, saying that was improper.

▶ Read more about the tangled legal battle

Multibillionaire Elon Musk is again denouncing Republicans’ sweeping tax and spending package as senators negotiate ahead of a final pivotal vote on the bill.

“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” Musk wrote on the social platform X.

A section of the GOP bill would indeed raise the debt ceiling, though the provision largely approves the federal government to pay debts that have already been incurred. If the debt ceiling were not raised, the U.S. would default on its debts, meaning that the government would not pay back those who had lent the nation money or not pay for services and goods already purchased by the government.

The top military commander in charge of troops deployed to Los Angeles to respond to protests against immigration raids has asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if 200 of those forces could be returned to wildfire fighting duty, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday.

Trump ordered the deployment of about 4,000 California National Guard troops and 800 active-duty Marines against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom in early June.

California has entered peak wildfire season, and Newsom has warned that the Guard is now understaffed.

The top military commander of those troops, U.S. Northern Command head Gen. Gregory Guillot, recently submitted a request to Hegseth to return 200 of the National Guard troops back to the California National Guard’s wildfire unit, the officials said.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not yet announced publicly.

▶ Read more about the request

The State Department said the sale approved Monday includes more than 7,000 bomb guidance kits for two different types of Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the department said in a statement. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”

Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next Monday, according to a U.S. administration official.

The visit comes as the U.S. leader has begun stepping up his push on the Israeli government to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza.

The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the visit that hasn’t been formally announced and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

▶ Read more about the planned visit

In a pair of posts on Truth Social, Trump said he was trying to hold a conference call with faith leaders from all over the country, but he was unable to start the call because of technical difficulties, which he blamed on AT&T.

“If the Boss of AT&T, whoever that may be, could get involved — It would be good,” he wrote. “There are tens of thousands of people on the line!” In another post, he said: “AT&T ought to get its act together.”

Representatives for AT&T responded — also on social media — replying to a post from the White House press secretary on X sharing Trump’s complaints:

“We’ve reached out to the White House and are working to quickly understand and assess the situation,” AT&T said.

The issue was resolved and the call started 20 minutes late, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Trump spoke to thousands of faith leaders in a conference call Monday, the first in a series of regular calls that the White House expects him to periodically hold with religious leaders.

Trump, who created a White House faith office this year, spoke to between 8,000 and 10,000 leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths on the call, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

During the call, according to the official, Trump spoke for about 15 minutes and touted provisions in his big tax breaks and spending cuts bill like the boost to the child tax credit, the Israel-Iran ceasefire and African peace deals he brokered, and the pardons he issued for anti-abortion activists.

Despite assertions from press secretary Karoline Leavitt that the president met Monday at the White House with the top two congressional leaders, that wasn’t the case.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the South Dakota Republican was not at the White House on Monday and had no plans to go there later that day. Johnson was not at the White House either.

Thune is overseeing the so-called “vote-a-rama” session in the Senate ahead of a final vote on Trump’s tax-and-border bill.

“Teams are obviously in close contact/coordination, as always,” the spokesperson, Ryan Wrasse, said on X, “but we’re continuing to move through vote-a-rama in the Senate as we work to move this bill one step closer to the president’s desk.”

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House that Trump “is going to finalize the frameworks we negotiated with a whole bunch of countries after the weekend.”

That followed Trump posting on his social media site that Japan wasn’t buying enough rice from the U.S. “They won’t take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice shortage,” the president wrote, before adding “we’ll just be sending them a letter.”

Trump has suggested that the U.S. will be sending letters to many countries, informing them of the new tariff rates they will face from the U.S. after a July 9 deadline when the president’s 90-day pause on “reciprocal” tariffs expires.

Hassett said of tariff negotiations with Japan that there will “still be discussions right up to the end.”

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has not ended the threat of cyberattacks from hacking groups supportive of Tehran, the FBI and federal cybersecurity officials said Monday.

In a public bulletin, the authorities warned that hacking groups affiliated or supportive of Tehran may still seek to disrupt or disable important infrastructure, such as utilities, transportation centers and economic hubs. Hackers may also target defense contractors or other American companies with ties to Israel, the agencies warned.

The warning outlined recommendations including the use of regular software updates and strong password management systems to shore up digital defenses.

Hackers backing Tehran have targeted U.S. banks, defense contractors and energy companies following American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities — but so far have not caused widespread disruptions.

Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush have delivered rare open remarks questioning the Trump administration’s gutting of the main U.S. aid agency, including funding cuts to a popular AIDS and HIV program.

Obama called Trump’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development “inexplicable” and “a colossal mistake.”

Bush addressed Trump cuts and rule changes to PEPFAR, an AIDS and HIV prevention and care program credited with saving 25 million lives around the world.

“Is it in our national interests that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is,” Bush said.

The Democratic and Republican former presidents spoke in video remarks to USAID staffers. While the videoconference was closed to press, some of the videos were shared with The Associated Press.

Obama addressed the thousands in the USAID community listening online. “Your work has mattered, and will matter for generations to come,” he told them.

Leavitt says Trump will sign an executive order ending U.S. economic sanctions on Syria and promoting a “path to prosperity and peace.”

The U.S. granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in May. The press secretary said it was “an action that the president promised.”

Leavitt said Trump wants Syria to be “stable, unified and at peace with itself and its neighbors.”

Trump is set to sign the executive order on Monday afternoon.

Leavitt was asked about the push from some Republicans to have the Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani “denaturalized,” lose his U.S. citizenship and deported, but the press secretary said she had not heard Trump call for that.

“Certainly, he does not want this individual elected,” Leavitt said.

She said Trump is “always willing to work with everyone,” but said that she thinks that “the president would find it difficult to work with someone like that if he is elected.”

Following Trump’s lead, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ripped into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a Trump appointee who has held off on benchmark rate cuts until the U.S. central bank can gauge the impact of Trump’s tariffs.

“I would remind the Fed chair, and I would remind the entire world, that this is a president who was a businessman first, and he knows what he is doing,” said Leavitt.

The White House spokesperson opened Monday’s briefing by reading a note from Trump to Powell.

“Jerome, you are, as usual, too late,” Leavitt said, reading the correspondence from the president. “You have cost the USA a fortune and continue to do so. You should lower the rate by a lot. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being lost and there is no inflation.”

The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures price index, is tracking at 2.3% annually, slightly higher than the Fed’s 2% target. The Fed sees political independence as a key value for the integrity of the monetary policies it sets with the goals of stabilizing prices and maximizing employment.

Leavitt demurred when asked why Trump had not simply fired Powell, a move that could rattle financial markets. She said the question could be asked to Trump directly. Trump has said he could fire Powell if he wanted, but a recent Supreme Court ruling indicated that the Fed chair has a unique status.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says of the Trump-backed tax cut and spending bill seemingly on the verge of clearing Congress, “Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home stretch, and we are counting on them to get the job done.”

Leavitt told reporters during her briefing that Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson were at the White House on Monday to discuss passing what Trump calls the “big, beautiful bill.”

Leavitt also said Trump was confident the bill would be passed and at the White House to be signed by July 4, an informal deadline the president has been pushing for weeks.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news briefing Monday that Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, and Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds will join Trump and DeSantis Tuesday to view the detention facility in the Florida Everglades.

Leavitt said the new facility has only one road in and the only way out for those detained there is on a flight.

“It is isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife and unforgiving terrain,” Leavitt said.

In the run-up to a final Senate vote on Trump’s big bill of tax cuts and spending cuts, Republicans have voted down Democratic amendments to strike portions of the bill that would reduce funding for rural hospitals, food stamps and Medicaid.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined Democrats on an amendment to strike language that would force rural hospitals to limit their services. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats on that vote and a separate Democratic motion to prevent the legislation from shifting some food stamp costs to states.

On a party-line vote, Republicans also dismissed a motion by Democrats to strike any provision that would cut Medicaid.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Trump is planning to visit on Tuesday a site in the Everglades where Florida officials want to detain migrants, which has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

The Florida Republican said the site “will be ready for business” by Tuesday.

“What’ll happen is you bring people in there. They ain’t going anywhere once they’re there, unless you want them to go somewhere, because good luck getting to civilization. So the security is amazing,” DeSantis said, hinting at the alligators that swim in the wetlands surrounding the abandoned airport site and prompting some laughs from the audience at an unrelated press conference.

DeSantis said he spoke with Trump over the weekend and announced the site obtained approval from the Department of Homeland Security last week.

Harvard University failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, the Trump administration concluded after an investigation, threatening to cut all federal funding from the Ivy League school if it fails to take action.

A federal task force sent a letter to Harvard on Monday finding the university violated civil rights laws requiring colleges to protect students from discrimination based on race or national origin.

It says investigators found Harvard was at times a “willful participant in anti-Semitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and staff” and that campus leaders allowed antisemitism to fester on the campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

It’s a challenge to the Republicans’ budgeting method for the big bill that Democrats decry as “magic math” and are trying to strike from the process.

GOP senators have argued that Trump’s 2017 tax cuts are considered “current policy” and extending them indefinitely shouldn’t be counted in the total cost of the package.

Democrats argue that the Trump tax breaks, which are set to expire if Congress fails to act this year, are piling onto the national deficit. The actual vote is in the weeds — a motion to appeal the ruling of the chair that allows the budgeting method to move ahead.

Sen. John Thune says “it’s time to vote” on the massive tax and spending cuts package that has been moving through the Senate for several weeks and that Trump wants on his desk by July 4.

Thune pushed back on Democratic arguments that it would hurt working people, noting that Congress passed new work requirements for welfare recipients under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

The GOP bill includes new work requirements for Medicaid and Food stamp recipients, among other cuts to those programs.

“This is good for the American people,” Thune said.

The Senate is beginning an all-day session of amendment votes ahead of an expected final vote on Trump’s big bill of spending cuts and tax cuts. The session could last into the night.

Democrats are expected to offer amendments to strike tax breaks for the wealthy and cuts to the Medicaid program, among many others.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in opening remarks that he will start with an amendment that would block any provisions that increase costs for working families or small businesses “to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”

“The American people will not forget what Republicans do in this chamber today,” Schumer said.

The Senate will try to sprint ahead on Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts after a weekend of setbacks.

An all-night session to consider an endless stream of proposed amendments, called a vote-a-rama, was abruptly postponed.

It’s now scheduled to launch when the Senate gavels open Monday. With Democrats united against the Republican president’s legislation, the voting could take all day.

The day ahead could be pivotal for Republicans, who are racing to meet Trump’s Fourth of July deadline to pass the bill. The House is being called back to session for votes as soon as Wednesday, if the Senate can pass the bill.

Speaking on Fox Business, Trump reiterated his desire to send “a very fair letter” to each country letting them know what their tariff rates will be.

The president said he didn't think he'll need to extend the pause on higher tariffs, which are supposed to take effect July 9.

He mused about what one of his letters could say. “Dear Mr. Japan, here’s the story: You’re going to pay a 25% tariff on your cars,” he said.

Members of civic groups stage a rally against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs policy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters as he meets with Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

A member of the U.S. Secret Service looks on as President Donald Trump returns to the White House from Trump National Golf Club, June 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., walks to the chamber as Senate Republicans work to pass President Donald Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts by his July Fourth deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Becky Pepper-Jackson finished third in the discus throw in West Virginia last year though she was in just her first year of high school. Now a 15-year-old sophomore, Pepper-Jackson is aware that her upcoming season could be her last.

West Virginia has banned transgender girls like Pepper-Jackson from competing in girls and women's sports, and is among the more than two dozen states with similar laws. Though the West Virginia law has been blocked by lower courts, the outcome could be different at the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, which has allowed multiple restrictions on transgender people to be enforced in the past year.

The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in two cases over whether the sports bans violate the Constitution or the landmark federal law known as Title IX that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The second case comes from Idaho, where college student Lindsay Hecox challenged that state's law.

Decisions are expected by early summer.

President Donald Trump's Republican administration has targeted transgender Americans from the first day of his second term, including ousting transgender people from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth.

Pepper-Jackson has become the face of the nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls in athletics that has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls.

“I think it’s something that needs to be done,” Pepper-Jackson said in an interview with The Associated Press that was conducted over Zoom. “It’s something I’m here to do because ... this is important to me. I know it’s important to other people. So, like, I’m here for it.”

She sat alongside her mother, Heather Jackson, on a sofa in their home just outside Bridgeport, a rural West Virginia community about 40 miles southwest of Morgantown, to talk about a legal fight that began when she was a middle schooler who finished near the back of the pack in cross-country races.

Pepper-Jackson has grown into a competitive discus and shot put thrower. In addition to the bronze medal in the discus, she finished eighth among shot putters.

She attributes her success to hard work, practicing at school and in her backyard, and lifting weights. Pepper-Jackson has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade, though the Supreme Court's decision in June upholding state bans on gender-affirming medical treatment for minors has forced her to go out of state for care.

Her very improvement as an athlete has been cited as a reason she should not be allowed to compete against girls.

“There are immutable physical and biological characteristic differences between men and women that make men bigger, stronger, and faster than women. And if we allow biological males to play sports against biological females, those differences will erode the ability and the places for women in these sports which we have fought so hard for over the last 50 years,” West Virginia's attorney general, JB McCuskey, said in an AP interview. McCuskey said he is not aware of any other transgender athlete in the state who has competed or is trying to compete in girls or women’s sports.

Despite the small numbers of transgender athletes, the issue has taken on outsize importance. The NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees banned transgender women from women's sports after Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring their participation.

The public generally is supportive of the limits. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion.

About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Those allied with the administration on the issue paint it in broader terms than just sports, pointing to state laws, Trump administration policies and court rulings against transgender people.

"I think there are cultural, political, legal headwinds all supporting this notion that it’s just a lie that a man can be a woman," said John Bursch, a lawyer with the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom that has led the legal campaign against transgender people. “And if we want a society that respects women and girls, then we need to come to terms with that truth. And the sooner that we do that, the better it will be for women everywhere, whether that be in high school sports teams, high school locker rooms and showers, abused women’s shelters, women’s prisons.”

But Heather Jackson offered different terms to describe the effort to keep her daughter off West Virginia's playing fields.

“Hatred. It’s nothing but hatred,” she said. "This community is the community du jour. We have a long history of isolating marginalized parts of the community.”

Pepper-Jackson has seen some of the uglier side of the debate on display, including when a competitor wore a T-shirt at the championship meet that said, “Men Don't Belong in Women's Sports.”

“I wish these people would educate themselves. Just so they would know that I’m just there to have a good time. That’s it. But it just, it hurts sometimes, like, it gets to me sometimes, but I try to brush it off,” she said.

One schoolmate, identified as A.C. in court papers, said Pepper-Jackson has herself used graphic language in sexually bullying her teammates.

Asked whether she said any of what is alleged, Pepper-Jackson said, “I did not. And the school ruled that there was no evidence to prove that it was true.”

The legal fight will turn on whether the Constitution's equal protection clause or the Title IX anti-discrimination law protects transgender people.

The court ruled in 2020 that workplace discrimination against transgender people is sex discrimination, but refused to extend the logic of that decision to the case over health care for transgender minors.

The court has been deluged by dueling legal briefs from Republican- and Democratic-led states, members of Congress, athletes, doctors, scientists and scholars.

The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete.

If Pepper-Jackson is forced to stop competing, she said she will still be able to lift weights and continue playing trumpet in the school concert and jazz bands.

“It will hurt a lot, and I know it will, but that’s what I’ll have to do,” she said.

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Heather Jackson, left, and Becky Pepper-Jackson pose for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Becky Pepper-Jackson poses for a photograph outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Supreme Court stands is Washington, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Protestors hold signs during a rally at the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, file)