As President Biden continues to sign a substantial amount of executive orders in the opening days of his presidency, an overwhelming majority of House Republicans are advocating for the Hyde Amendment to stay intact. Led by Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), 200 House GOP lawmakers wrote to leadership of both parties urging them to continue to support the measure. The amendment has remained intact for over 40 years throughout Republican and Democratic administrations. The lawmakers pledged to oppose any and all legislation that undermines the Hyde Amendment.
For over 40 years, Congress upheld the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions. But the new Radical Left wants to change that.
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) January 26, 2021
Big thanks to my 199 colleagues who signed @RepublicanStudy's pledge to oppose legislation that weakens or end the Hyde Amendment. #SaveHyde pic.twitter.com/RJF53jy4vW
The decades-old provision, which has received historically bipartisan support, prohibits taxpayer dollars from funding abortions. Then-Senator Biden was a champion of the Hyde Amendment, but reversed course multiple times during his run for the White House.
“I will continue to abide by the same principle that has guided me throughout my 21 years in the Senate: those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them. As you may know, I have consistently — on no fewer than 50 occasions — voted against federal funding of abortions,” then-Senator Biden wrote in 1994.
The public’s opinion historically supports the measure, too, with the amendment receiving support from likely voters by a 22-point margin in 2016. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki would not firmly say whether or not the president still supports the Hyde Amendment. The new administration is set to reverse the Mexico City Policy, which is founded in the same principle as the Hyde Amendment; the policy prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions abroad.