On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party when he stood up to his party and shared on "Fox News Sunday" that he could not support the reconciliation spending bill, also known as Build Back Better, a key agenda item for President Joe Biden. As progressives and the White House smear the moderate Democrat, to the point of spewing lies and seething statements, others are nevertheless jumping to Manchin's defense.
We just expanded our six-figure “Thank You Manchin” campaign by $100,000, launching new digital and radio ads thanking @Sen_JoeManchin for standing strong this entire year to stop tax dollars from paying for abortions
— Susan B. Anthony List #ModernizeOurLaw (@SBAList) December 22, 2021
Full statement: https://t.co/19JZWnBJJz
Watch the new ad: pic.twitter.com/LgD7jxwmue
Susan B. Anthony List, a major pro-life group, is launching a new digital and radio campaign to expand their "Thank You Manchin" campaign by $100,000.
In one 15-second video ad, a narrator mentions that "the multi-trillion dollar Biden-Pelosi spending plan forcing us to pay for abortion has been defeated. And it's because Senator Joe Manchin stood strong. Thank Manchin for keeping his word and not forcing West Virginians to pay for abortion."
"We commend Senator Manchin for standing strong this entire year to protect unborn children and keep American taxpayer money away from the radical abortion lobby. He’s right: he would not be able to explain to West Virginians, some of the most pro-life people in our country, a vote that would have expanded gruesome painful abortions and forced his constituents to pay for it. His courage has saved countless lives, and it has not gone unnoticed," SBA List's President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.
The organization has issued such campaigns thanking the pro-life Democrat before for voting against abortion expansion before, including earlier this month as well as in September, when he opposed a reconciliation spending bill that funds abortion.
It's worth reminding that Manchin had said in September that the bill was "dead on arrival" if it did not include Hyde protections, and said that "it has to be" included. He had also previously reaffirmed his commitment to Hyde in June. Yet the House version passed last month purposefully did not include Hyde Amendment protections.
The Senate version had yet to be completed when Manchin effectively killed it. Among the many issues with the spending bill included how Democrats were trying to insert immigration provisions into the bill and encountering rejections from the Senate parliamentarian.
Because the bill would have been considered through the reconciliation process and needed only a simple majority to pass, it needed to stick to matters to do with the budget.
The spending bill drew controversy from the start for leaving out the Hyde Amendment, which has protected taxpayers from having to fund elective abortions since 1976. It's passed every year on a bipartisan basis, with Biden not only having supported it in previous years, but bragging to constituents about supporting it during his time in the Senate.
A majority of Americans have consistently supported the Hyde Amendment, according to numerous polls. Even Slate acknowledged the popularity of Hyde in 2019, warning that "Abortion Funding Isn’t As Popular As Democrats Think."
Townhall had the opportunity in October to attend a breakout session about the Hyde Amendment put on by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in his discussion of the dangers of the reconciliation spending bill.
Other House members present included Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who had called on Manchin to stay strong in supporting Hyde, and warned about "wordsmiths" who would try to get Manchin to support the bill after all. Marilyn Musgrave, who was there on behalf of SBA List, referenced Manchin as well, saying he was "a symbol of the bipartisan support" Hyde has.
It is estimated that the Hyde Amendment has saved approximately 2.5 million Americans.