Daines, Lankford: Democrats’ Reckless Tax & Spending Bill Violates Hyde Amendment, Expands Taxpayer Funding for Abortions

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) today released a new memo detailing how the Democrats’ multitrillion dollar tax and spending bill would violate the Hyde Amendment and radically expand taxpayer funding for abortions.

“Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to spending their hard-earned tax dollars on funding abortions. The Democrats’ big government, reckless tax and spending bill strips Hyde Amendment protections and expands abortion subsidies. This is an egregious attack on life and the American taxpayer. Protecting taxpayer dollars from funding abortions has not been a controversial issue for decades and it should not be one now. This is unacceptable,” Daines said. 

“Democrats are once again helping the most pro-abortion President ever force American taxpayers to pay for abortions in their reckless tax-and-spend spree,” said Lankford. “It is clear Democrats are obsessed with abortion. They seem to look for every opportunity in every bill to find new ways to increase the number of abortions in America. We must stand against this continued assault on the lives of unborn babies and not allow health-related grants or new Medicaid and Affordable Care Act expansions to take the lives of even more Americans in the womb and violate the conscience rights of millions of Americans who are morally opposed to abortion. I continue to support the Hyde Amendment and all other life protections. In the days ahead, the national conversation around abortion will continue both in Congress and at the Supreme Court. It is the fundamental responsibility of government to protect the lives of every person from conception to natural death. I will continue to work in the Senate to protect life and call upon my colleagues to ensure no federal money is ever used to fund the taking of a child’s life.” 

The Democrats’ bill:

  • Mandates abortion funding for the Medicaid coverage gap population in the 12 non-expansion States through Obamacare exchange plans in 2024 and 2025, overriding state laws
  • Provides $30 billion for subsidizing cost-sharing and reinsurance for individual market health coverage without any restrictions on funding abortions or plans that cover abortions
  • Massively expands taxpayer funding for Obamacare exchange plans that cover abortions
  • Provides more than $18 billion in health-related grants without any limits on funding abortions 

Read their full findings on the anti-life provisions in the Democrats’ tax and spending bill HERE. 

Senator Daines is the founder and chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus and Senator Lankford is the chairman of the Values Action Team.

 

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Contact: Katherine McKeoghKatie Schoettler