Today, Biden released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022, notably excluding the Hyde Amendment, a staple of every federal budget since 1976. Biden’s massive $6 trillion proposed budget abandons his long-time support for the Hyde Amendment under intense pressure from the abortion industry.
The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal taxpayer dollars from directly funding most elective abortions. This budget rider has received bipartisan support for decades, including from Biden, who once stated, “those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them.” Now, he is seeking to do just that.
A Marist poll earlier this year found that 58% of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of elective abortion, while only 38% support the practice. In Congress, 200 House Republicans and 48 Senate Republicans have signed letters promising to oppose any legislation without Hyde Amendment protections.
For much of the last decade, Texas has eliminated state and local funding for the abortion industry, culminating with Senate Bill 22 in 2019, which bans all state and local funding of abortion providers and their affiliates. Sadly, Texas does not control the federal spending, so the Biden Administration’s turn toward abortion extremism can undermine Texas’s efforts.
Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication Kimberlyn Schwartz responded to Biden’s proposed budget:
For several decades, the Hyde Amendment has protected the consciences of Pro-Life Texans and saved thousands of preborn lives. Biden’s proposed budget, though unsurprising, is nevertheless dispiriting for the Pro-Life movement and all who care about the dignity of human Life. Federal legislators must work to oppose Biden’s efforts and work to include the Hyde Amendment in the federal budget.
Texas Right to Life opposes any federal budget that does not include Hyde Amendment protections. Our government should not use taxpayer dollars to subsidize the killing of preborn children.