U.S. Senate committee makes new trans athlete allegations against USA Hockey

EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has accused Team USA's Hockey governing body, USA Hockey, of facilitating competitions that allow trans athletes to compete against female players in officially sanctioned competition.

"The committee recently learned that months after USA Hockey received complaints about trans women playing in a Dallas women’s league, the Dallas women’s league was suspended. It will be replaced with an open league to provide 'a league experience that all can enjoy.' This essentially means there is no longer a Dallas league dedicated solely to women, and women who joined the Dallas league, seeking to only compete with women, must now choose between possibly competing against men or not competing at all," read a statement provided to Fox News Digital by the Senate committee.

"USA Hockey is choosing to placate trans players instead of protecting opportunities for women."

The committee also released a written report on the situation to Fox News Digital.

The report claims that after USA Hockey updated its participant eligibility policy to comply with the USOPC policy and President Donald Trump's executive order to "save women's sports," USA Hockey then created a new adult hockey registration classification called "the open classification."

The open classification is promoted as a "flexible participation pathway for any registered USA Hockey member, regardless of sex or gender identity" and is designed specifically for trans athletes to play women’s sports.

"USA Hockey leadership is encouraging women’s leagues and tournaments with women’s divisions to continue marketing themselves as being for women, but with caveats that the league/tournament division is inclusive of male athletes. Through this loophole, men who identify as women can participate in a league marketed as a women’s league," the report writes.

The report specifically names the Dallas Stars Women’s Hockey League (DSWHL) in Texas.

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"The DSWHL women’s league began its spring season in April 2026, after USA Hockey’s updated participant eligibility policy became effective. Despite this, multiple men who identify as women are playing in the league. USA Hockey is aware of this and has done nothing to prevent the men from continuing to participate in the women’s league. As a result, women who joined the DSWHL women’s league specifically to avoid competing against men are now forced to compete against men if they want to play the sport they love," the report states.

"This is wrong on every level and clearly violates President Trump’s executive order and the recent changes made to USA Hockey’s gender policies."

Fox News Digital has reached out to USA Hockey and the NHL's Dallas Stars, of which the DSWHL is a subsidiary, for comment.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) updated its athlete safety guidelines last July to only allow biological females to compete in the women's category, to ensure adherence to Trump's executive order.

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Team USA's individual sports governing bodies updated their own policies to comply with that change shortly thereafter.

However, other governing bodies, including USA Rugby, have also conducted competitions in an "open division" that allows for both biological sexes.

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