US bishops urge protection of Hyde Amendment after Trump suggests ‘flexible’ stance on policy
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has rejected any attempt by Congress to compromise the Hyde Amendment to allow taxpayer funds to be used for abortions.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has rejected any compromise that would allow taxpayer funding of abortion, calling it incompatible with authentic health care.
The bishops’ statement follows President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 suggestion that Republicans be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment during health care affordability negotiations, a proposal that prompted backlash from pro-life leaders.
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt criticized Trump’s remarks, emphasizing that Catholic voters expect unwavering protection of the Hyde Amendment after voting him into office.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, has promised that Congress will not budge on the Hyde Amendment.
Following President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Republicans should be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a statement rejecting any attempt by Congress to allow taxpayer dollars to be used for abortions.
Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo, Ohio, who is also chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in the Jan. 7 statement that compromising the Hyde Amendment to make health care more affordable would go against the values of authentic health care.
“Authentic health care upholds the dignity of all human life, and health care policy must not violate this dignity,” Bishop Thomas said. “In upholding this core principle, the U.S. bishops have long opposed any proposals to expand taxpayer funding of abortion and will continue to do so, including, if necessary, in the current debates in Congress over health care affordability plans.”
He continued, “We urge Congress to work creatively to enact legislation that does not compromise the dignity of the human person and that ensures access to authentic, life-affirming care.”
As Zeale previously reported, Trump treated the amendment as a bargaining chip in the debates over affordable health care plans, telling Republicans Jan. 6, “You have to be a little flexible on Hyde. You know that. You gotta be a little flexible.”
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt immediately opposed Trump’s suggestion and urged him to protect the Hyde Amendment, reminding him that he promised to uphold the amendment, signed an executive order reinforcing it within days of entering office last year, and affirmed that U.S. policy protects taxpayer dollars from being used for abortion funding.
“Catholic voters did not support President Trump for transactional reasons. They did so because they believed he would stand firm where it mattered most,” Reinhardt said. “Political insiders recommending a retreat from Hyde are offering bad advice. The Hyde Amendment is good policy and good politics. Americans do not want their tax dollars paying for abortion.”
Zeale also reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., promised Jan. 7 that the Hyde Amendment will not be touched, saying, “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.”
