Republicans have proposed measures targeting military’s reimbursement for abortion-related travel, whether Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals should provide abortions, and changes to how the abortion drug mifepristone is dispensed.
“It’s just to create division, culture, wars, etc. And they think that that’s going to distract the public from the unbelievable harm they’re doing in terms of the programmatic cuts from the services that people rely on,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, told The Hill.
The push comes as the House GOP majority has seemingly abandoned plans for any national abortion ban and faced difficulty in moving even bills that cover a much narrower scope.
That includes a measure to permanently codify and expand the Hyde Amendment, a provision that prohibits certain federal funds from being used on abortion procedures.
The bill has yet to come to the floor under opposition from moderate House Republicans.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said that while she has not read the proposed anti-abortion amendents to the National Defense Authorization Act, she warned that Republicans shouldn’t be focusing on abortion bans, especially if the policies aren’t related to the underlying legislation.
“We shouldn’t be doing anything that’s not germane. This is an issue I’ve been very vocal on,” Mace said. “We have voted on three or four or five different abortion bills or amendments so far this year, but what have we done to protect women?”
The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel and Aris Folley have more here.
