Top Democrats disagree on including Hyde Amendment in economic bill
The Hyde Amendment blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the woman’s life is in danger.
Her comments on CNN’s “State of the Union” come after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — a crucial Democratic vote in the 50-50 Senate — said last week the Hyde Amendment’s inclusion would be necessary for a package to have his support.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, on Sunday did not rule out including the Hyde Amendment, arguing that he doesn’t want that issue to sink the legislation.
“I’ll tell you, I voted for both in the past because I have to measure it against the value of the package itself,” Durbin told CNN’s Dana Bash, when asked if he will vote in favor of the bill if it includes the amendment. “Build Back Better is the future for many working families. It gives them a chance to finally break away from the inequality in our economy and to have some optimism about the future. So, I don’t want to let the package break down over that issue.”
But Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat, drew a line on the issue Sunday, telling Bash “no” when asked if she would vote in favor of the bill if it’s included.
“One in four women have had an abortion and need to have reproductive care in a very, very important time when those protections are being rolled back. That is nobody’s business. It is our business as people that carry the babies. And you know, we have to be able to make the choices during our pregnancy.”
“None of the dollars here are going for that,” she said when asked whether she wanted federal dollars in the legislation going toward abortions.