FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 29, 2021
Contact: Prudence Robertson, [email protected]
Democrats Led by Pelosi Block GOP Efforts to Restore Longstanding Pro-life Protections in Spending Bills
Washington, D.C. – Today the Democrat-led U.S. House of Representatives passed spending bills that, unless blocked by the Senate, would eliminate the Hyde Amendment and other longstanding pro-life policies that prevent taxpayer funding of abortion on demand. Today’s vote follows the passage on Wednesday of a spending bill that would force Americans to directly fund abortion overseas.
Popular policies eliminated from the Labor, Health and Human Services and Financial Services FY-2022 spending bills – part of a “minibus” spending package advanced by pro-abortion Democrats – include:
Republican members offered several amendments that would have restored Hyde protections to the budget. In a strong show of unity, every House Republican co-sponsored an amendment offered by Ranking Member Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) to restore Hyde. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) proposed an amendment to restore his amendment regarding Federal Employee Health Benefits and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) proposed an amendment to restore the Dornan (“D.C. Hyde”) Amendment. Democrats refused to allow consideration of any pro-life amendments. Republican leadership then used their motion to recommit in a final attempt to restore the Hyde policies described above. The motion failed 208-217.
“Biden-Pelosi Democrats doubled down on abortion extremism today, scrapping decades of bipartisan consensus that #HydeSavesLives,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Nearly 2.5 million of our fellow Americans are living thanks to the original Hyde Amendment alone – with the largest impact felt in poor and historically marginalized communities. Yet House Democrats have eliminated vital protections for the vulnerable and attacked the motives of the strong majority of Americans who support them, including colleagues and countless rank-and-file Democrats and Independents nationwide. They do so at their own political peril.
“In contrast, the entire GOP conference stands united in support for Hyde. We are deeply grateful to Republican leadership and all our front-line heroes fighting for unborn children and their mothers. Pro-abortion Democrats’ agenda is indefensible and far too extreme to pass the Senate.”
Pro-life Republicans in both the House and Senate have united around the Hyde Amendment, including joining SBA List and leaders on and off Capitol Hill on social media to highlight that #HydeSavesLives. Additionally, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Roger Wicker (D-MS) recently sent a bipartisan letter to Senate appropriators urging them to preserve Hyde.
Seventy-seven percent of Americans oppose using taxpayer dollars to promote abortion overseas, and 58% oppose using taxpayer money to fund abortions in the United States.
In June SBA List launched a six-figure digital ad campaign targeting two vulnerable U.S. senators and six U.S. House members in competitive districts to expose their pro-abortion extremism.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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