WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation (H.R. 7) Tuesday to block taxpayer money from funding abortions. The bill makes this policy permanent and passed 238-183.
Additionally, H.R. 7 bans the federal government from subsidizing insurance plans that cover elective abortion. For the past 30 years, Congress passed annual legislation to keep the policy — known as the Hyde amendment, named after the late Illinois Republican Rep. Henry Hyde — in effect.
The passage of the legislation in the House comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s reinstatement of a policy started by President Ronald Reagan that bans the funding or promotion of abortion overseas.
“We are a pro-life Congress. Today we renewed our commitment to the Hyde Amendment with the passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. I want to thank Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) for his tireless commitment to this cause. This legislation protects the conscience of American taxpayers by ensuring that not a single dollar of their hard-earned money goes to fund abortions,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement
“As hundreds of thousands of Americans flock to Washington for the March for Life, we must never forget that defending all of our people—especially the defenseless—must be our top priority if we want to be a good and moral nation,” he added.