WATCH: Purple-Haired Congresswoman Praises Buttigieg For Using ‘Female Crash Test Dummies’ To Fight ‘Gender Inequity’

A Democratic congresswoman had a rather bizarre message for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at a congressional hearing yesterday: thank you for prioritizing female crash test dummies in vehicle safety tests.

Sporting her trademark purple hair, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) thanked President Joe Biden’s top advisor on transportation matters for making “important investments to address the roadway safety crisis including that would accelerate the development of — and this is an area where I’ve written to you about — of the use of female dummies in crash testing. This will start to fight the gender inequity among vehicle safety and crash victims.”

WATCH:

WATCH: Rep. Rosa DeLauro praises Transportation Sec. Buttigieg for the development of 'female crash test dummies'

"This will start to fight the gender inequity among vehicle safety and crash victims." pic.twitter.com/C85Ll2mQJ9

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 20, 2023

Conservatives on Twitter called the Democratic lawmaker’s request hypocritical given the controversy surrounding transgender individuals competing in sports and whether men possess innate physiological advantages over women.

It's good to have female crash test dummies if you believe in biological reality (men and women have different body types). But Democrats don't believe that. So shouldn't Rosa DeLauro stop assuming the gender of the "male" crash test dummies? https://t.co/z70UfmGbGf

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) April 21, 2023

“We are not a serious nation,” added another commentator while Breitbart News cackled, “And she said it with a STRAIGHT FACE.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro praises Pete Buttigieg for the development of “female crash test dummies.”

"This will start to fight the gender inequity among vehicle safety and crash victims."

We are not a serious nation.
pic.twitter.com/VCiZvduU70

— Bobby Burack (@burackbobby_) April 20, 2023

And she said it with a STRAIGHT FACE… Democrat Rosa DeLauro (D-CA) praised Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for fighting "gender inequity" among crash test victims. pic.twitter.com/nPNouV5DEU

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 20, 2023

Secretary Buttigieg has drawn scorn for proposing an investment of $20 million in female crash test dummies despite the nation’s ongoing battle with high inflation and chronic underinvestments in existing federal programs. In its budget request to Congress, DOT described the dummies as “small-sized adult females” capable of helping the agency develop “cutting-edge safety and accessibility research initiatives.”

Purchasing female crash dummies will allow DOT to “improve accessibility for people with disabilities, and research on the effect of vehicle size and weight on pedestrian safety,” it added.

The request by Buttigieg is one of 90 “equity action plans” that federal agencies have submitted at the request of President Biden, ostensibly designed to eliminate biases or disadvantages in federal programs. For example, the White House argues, women are 73% more likely to be injured in vehicle crashes, a figure attributable to “outdated crash test standards.” DOT has begun to require equity standards in its awards to state governments and contractors, citing “racial equity and barriers to opportunity as a consideration for awarding discretionary grants.”