Continuing the roundtable series he launched earlier this week, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) hosted a conversation today to discuss how Democrats are moving to break nearly 50 years of bipartisan Congressional agreement on the Hyde Amendment, an important provision that prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.
Joining Leader McCarthy were House Republicans Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Rep. Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), and Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01). They were also joined by Carol Tobias, President of the National Right to Life Committee, Marilyn Musgrave, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Susan B. Anthony List, and Jeanne Mancini, the President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund.
Since 1976 both Democrats and Republicans have not always agreed on the issue of abortion, but they have agreed that federal dollars should not be used to pay for abortion. In fact, one of the Hyde Amendment’s most vocal supporters used to be then-Senator Joe Biden, who in 1994 said, “the government should not tell those with strong convictions against abortion, such as you and I, that we must pay for them.”
But today, President Biden and Congressional Democrats are leading an assault against the right to life, and individuals’ religious liberties. In their reconciliation bill, Democrats have purposely omitted Hyde protections on federal health care subsidies and to billions of dollars in new public health spending, a move that will force pro-life, tax-paying Americans to pay for something they are fundamentally against.
Here are three takeaways from today’s roundtable:
Hyde remains incredibly popular with the American people.
NRLC President Tobias: “This reconciliation bill will radically expand funding for abortion… The Hyde Amendment has enjoyed 45 years of bipartisan support in Congress, and yet today, the Hyde Amendment is being targeted at every turn by the Democrats.”
A recent poll showed that nearly 60% of Americans say they “oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.”
Hyde saves lives.
March for Life President Mancini: “Hyde is the most effective pro-life public policy in this country. It has saved over 2.4 million lives, and has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Hyde protects the religious liberties of taxpayers.
SBA List Vice President Musgrave: “Now Democrats want an upheaval. They want to throw away all protections, so we are here to stand alongside and do everything we can to [fight for the Hyde Amendment]. Abortion is not health care.”
We cannot allow the government to be in a position to force Americans to violate their religious liberties. House Republicans, with the help of critical pro-life supporters across the country, will work together to fight back against Democrats’ attempts to remove an essential safeguard to protecting Americans’ rights, and one that has saved countless lives.
