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The Biden administration’s Department of Education on Friday withdrew its proposed rule change to Title IX, which included new anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, as President Joe Biden prepares to leave office.

The proposed rule, titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams” was first introduced in the Federal Register in 2023.

The department said it now does not “intend for a final rule to be issued,” per NBC News. If the administration had not withdrawn its proposal, it would have been easier for President-elect Donald Trump’s administration to tweak the rules for their own agenda.

The department also said that it made its decision because of ongoing litigation over the rule change, and because there were 150,000 public comments with modifications suggestions that needed to be considered.

Opponents of the proposed change, including the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), celebrated the decision in a statement. 

“Women and girls deserve to compete on a level playing field, and the U.S. Department of Education has taken a step in the right direction by withdrawing this proposed change,” ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Legal Strategy Jonathan Scruggs said in a statement. 

“As the withdrawal admitted, many Americans voiced their opposition to the rule change and there are many pending lawsuits related to protecting women’s sports,” he continued. “The decision to withdraw the proposed sports rule merely reflects the views of the vast majority of Americans who believe that women’s sports should remain reserved for female athletes.”

The withdrawal comes the same day the department abandoned its plan to forgive massive amounts of student loans, reneging on one of the administration’s biggest promises just one month before the president is expected to leave office.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.