WASHINGTON
– Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today joined Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and 45 Senate
colleagues in reintroducing the No
Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act,
which would make permanent the Hyde Amendment restrictions on using taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
“Many
Americans believe in pro-life policies and embrace the sanctity of life. Using
taxpayer dollars to fund and support abortions is wrong,” Grassley said. “This is a commonsense bill that will once and for
all end taxpayer funded abortions.”
Currently,
policies that regulate federal funding for abortions,
like the long-standing Hyde Amendment, have to be reapproved each year
and can be terminated at any time. This bill
would eliminate the need for annual action and ensure
a permanent, government-wide prohibition on funding for abortions.
In addition to establishing a government-wide ban on federal
funding for abortion, the legislation would:
· Prohibit funding for health benefits coverage
that includes coverage of abortion with funds authorized or appropriated by
Federal law;
· Prohibit abortion in federal health facilities
(such as DOD and VA hospitals) and ensure that no federal employee provides
abortion services in the course of their employment;
· Make permanent the provisions of the D.C. Hyde Amendment, or the
Dornan Amendment, which clarifies that the federal provisions regarding
abortion funding also apply to the government of the District of Columbia;
· Ensure that elective abortion is not
deductible for tax purposes by amending Section 213 of the Internal Revenue
Code; and
· Ensure that Affordable Care Act premium
assistance subsidies provided in the form of refundable, advanceable tax
credits are not used to pay for health insurance plans that include abortion,
except in cases of rape, incest, or when
the life of the mother is at risk.
Grassley
and Wicker were joined by 45 colleagues including Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.),
Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike
Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John
Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho),
Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.),
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John
Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.),
John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia
Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.),
Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mitt Romney (R-Utah),
Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.),
Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John
Thune (R-S.D.), Tom Tillis (R-N.C.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)
and Todd Young (R-Ind).