Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) recently joined her Republican colleagues in opposing President Joe Biden’s budget proposal, arguing that it excludes a provision banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortion procedures.
The provision, known as the Hyde Amendment, currently prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion unless it is necessary to save the woman’s life or if the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, according to The New York Times.
“The bipartisan #HydeAmendment has protected innocent life for decades, but radical Democrats want to get rid of it,” Granger said on Twitter. “I asked the House to make Hyde permanent, and I will fight back against any effort to weaken pro-life protections.”
According to Fox News, at least 22 Republican attorneys general sent a letter to members of Congress on June 21, urging them to reject Biden’s proposal that the Hyde Amendment be removed from the federal budget, claiming that repealing the now decades-old provision would be “unconscionable.”
“If state taxpayers disagree with the services that their tax dollars pay for, they can ‘vote with their feet and move to a state with lower taxes or one that prioritizes spending differently,'” the letter read, which was sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
While it is unclear how the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by Democrats, will address this issue, some Democratic leaders have already expressed support for repealing the provision.
“I myself have been an opponent of the Hyde Amendment long before I came to Congress, so I would be receptive to that happening,” Pelosi told reporters in December. “It’s long overdue, getting rid of it, in my view.”
Critics of the amendment claim that it unfairly targets poor women of color by denying them funds that they disproportionately require, according to the Fox News report.
However, the process to repeal the Hyde Amendment in the Senate would likely be a lengthy and difficult process, as Republicans currently share 50 seats with Democrats and their independent allies.
According to research done by the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List, the amendment has prevented the death of almost three million infants since 1976.
