House Defeats Bill Designating Women’s History Museum Site (1)

May 21, 2026, 10:03 PM UTCUpdated: May 21, 2026, 11:19 PM UTC

The House unexpectedly rejected a bill allowing the Smithsonian Institution to build a women’s history museum on the National Mall Thursday after six Republicans joined Democrats in opposition to the measure.

The failed vote was a stunning addition to a day of setbacks for Republicans, coming just hours after the Senate went home for recess without finishing a party-line immigration budget bill they’d hoped to pass due to intraparty turmoil. House GOP leadership also delayed a vote Democrats forced seeking to rein in President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers because absences meant Democrats could’ve succeeded in passing it.

The women’s ...

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