Hearing of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee - Closing Statement of Rep. Roby, Markup on Pro-Life Amendment to Funding Bill

Hearing

U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, today during full Committee markup offered a pro-life amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Fiscal Year 2020 funding bill. Representative Roby's amendment would allow the courts, rather than the Democrat-controlled House, to decide the fate of the Trump Administration's proposed rule restricting Title X family planning grants from being steered to entities that are not physically and financially separated from abortion providers.

In February of this year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued this rule, but a series of court injunctions have frozen these rule changes, and as a result, hundreds of Planned Parenthood facilities nationwide are still receiving federal tax dollars through Title X family planning grants. While the rule is going through the judicial process, the Democrat majority on the House Appropriations Committee has elected to tie the hands of HHS through legislation stating that the Department may only act in accordance with regulations established before January 18, 2017, two days before Donald Trump became President.

"My amendment is simple: We cannot handcuff the current Administration to regulations of the past," Representative Roby said. "Despite the inclusion of the Hyde Amendment, abortion providers like Planned Parenthood have been able to get their hands on American tax dollars through Title X funds. I am unapologetically pro-life, so I don't want this, the people I represent don't want this, and the American people don't want this.

"The Trump Administration's finalized rule would require any clinic using Title X funds to be physically and financially separated from facilities that perform abortions, drawing a clear, bright line between family planning services and abortion providers. My amendment would ensure that this rule has a fighting chance to become law as it makes its way through our judicial process."

The full text of Representative Roby's closing remarks as prepared is below:

My amendment is simple: we cannot handcuff the current Administration to regulations of the past.

As you all know, the Hyde Amendment has persevered through every funding bill passed through Congress in recent history, and our message to the American people has been clear: no direct tax dollars should be used to perform abortions.

Despite the inclusion of the Hyde Amendment, abortion providers like Planned Parenthood have been able to get their hands on American tax dollars through Title X funds: As I am unapologetically pro-life - I don't want this, the people I represent don't want this and the American people don't want this.

The Trump Administration's finalized rule would require any clinic using Title X funds to be physically and financially separated from facilities that perform abortions; this would draw a clear, bright line between family planning services and abortion providers.

But as it's currently written, this underlying bill would prohibit the Secretary of HHS from adopting any rules or recommendations made after January 18, 2017 - just two days before Donald Trump became President.

My amendment would ensure that the Trump Administration's finalized rule has a fighting chance to become law as it makes its way through our judicial process.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me to protect the spirit of the Hyde Amendment and to ensure that our constituents' tax dollars are not being used to end innocent lives.

Source