House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., vowed that he would not allow taxpayer dollars to fund abortion, signaling that House Republicans are unlikely to compromise on the Hyde Amendment after President Donald Trump recently suggested Republicans should be “flexible” on the pro-life policy.
“We are not gonna change the standard that we’re not gonna use taxpayer funding for abortion. I’m just not gonna allow that to happen,” Johnson told NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Melania Zanona when asked about Trump’s remarks, according to her social media post.
Johnson’s comments followed Trump’s remarks a day earlier at a House Republican policy retreat on Jan. 6, where the President urged “flexibility” on the decades-old Hyde Amendment as a bargaining chip in healthcare negotiations, as CatholicVote previously reported. The Hyde Amendment protects taxpayer dollars from funding elective abortions, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is at risk.
“You have to be a little flexible on Hyde. You know that. You gotta be a little flexible,” Trump told Republicans.
Pro-life leaders moved quickly to rebuke Trump’s comments. In a Jan. 6 statement, CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt called upon Trump to reaffirm his commitment to the amendment, which she said “reflects a basic moral consensus: Americans should not be compelled to fund abortion with their tax dollars.”
Reinhardt pointed to Trump’s past support for the Hyde Amendment and warned that retreating from the policy would betray pro-life voters.
“Catholic voters did not support President Trump for transactional reasons,” she said. “They did so because they believed he would stand firm where it mattered most. Political insiders recommending a retreat from Hyde are offering bad advice. The Hyde Amendment is good policy and good politics.”
>> CatholicVote urges Trump to ‘reaffirm and honor’ Hyde Amendment after he signals ‘flexibility’ <<
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