Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
An Uneasy Truce: Democrats Have Voted For Bills That Included The Hyde Amendment For Decades
The Washington Post: House Democrats Look To Keep Uneasy Truce On Abortion Funding Amid Uproar In Presidential Race
Former vice president Joe Biden’s sudden reversal on allowing taxpayer funding for abortions prompted an uproar in the presidential race. But on Capitol Hill, Democrats show little sign they are planning to upend a long but uneasy truce on the issue. Even after winning back control of the House in last year’s midterm elections, House Democrats are poised to vote next week on a wide-ranging spending bill that includes the very language Biden disavowed late Thursday — the Hyde Amendment, a provision that has sharply limited federal funding for abortions since 1976. (DeBonis, 6/7)
The Associated Press: Hyde Amendment, Abortion Debate Haunt 2020 Democrats
The Hyde Amendment has become a top discussion point in 2020 politics — and something of a purity test for Democrats — after Joe Biden, the leader of his party's presidential pack, announced that he's now an opponent of the 1976 policy. But the amendment that restricts government funding for most abortions has been preserved by Democrats for decades — including with votes from some of the presidential hopefuls now decrying it. Biden's reversal Thursday crashed that party. His timing raised questions about how in touch he is with the new generation of Democrats that propelled a record number of women into the ranks of White House hopefuls and Congress. (Kellman, 6/7)
Politico: Sanders On Bills With Hyde Amendment: 'Sometimes ... You Have To Vote For Things You Don't Like'
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday defended his past votes for legislation containing a provision prohibiting federal funding for most abortions, while reiterating his support for abortion rights. Sanders was asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” about his support for bills containing the Hyde Amendment, which bans using Medicaid funds for abortions unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy arises from rape or incest. (Massara, 6/9)
CQ: Hyde Amendment, Other Abortion Riders In The Spending Limelight
The debate surrounding abortion access is about to spill over from the campaign trail to Capitol Hill as lawmakers begin debating must-pass appropriations bills. Starting Wednesday, the House will take up a nearly $1 trillion spending package (HR 2740) written by Democrats that would roll back Trump administration anti-abortion rights policies, including restrictions barring health clinics from recommending abortion services and preventing U.S. foreign assistance to aid groups that perform or promote abortions. (Shutt, 6/10)
The Washington Post: Several Of Biden’s 2020 Rivals Are Quick To Highlight His Reversal On Federal Funding Of Abortions
Several of Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential rivals seized the opportunity Friday to highlight his reversal on federal funding for abortions, seeking to elevate their profile in the crowded field and weaken the candidate leading in the polls. In a morning tweet, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) took aim at the former vice president hours after Biden announced that he now opposes the so-called Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion. The tweet also highlighted another potential weakness for Biden. (Wagner and Itkowitz, 6/7)
The New York Times: Behind Biden’s Reversal On Hyde Amendment: Lobbying, Backlash And An Ally’s Call
When Joseph R. Biden Jr. took the stage at a fund-raiser that drew many African-American Democrats Thursday night, he was under siege over his support for a measure that prohibits federal funding for most abortions. Black women, including on his own campaign staff, were urging him to reverse his position, pointing to restrictive abortion laws passed in Georgia and in other Southern states. He was facing a chorus of blistering-if-implicit criticism from his Democratic rivals, and abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood were intensely lobbying his staff. And he feared that his coming health care proposal could be overshadowed by questions of why he supported limiting abortion access for poor women and women of color who rely on Medicaid. (Glueck, Martin and Burns, 6/7)
The Hill: Alyssa Milano Urged Biden To Reverse Stance On Hyde Amendment: Reports
Actress Alyssa Milano, an outspoken women's rights advocate and friend of Joe Biden, reportedly urged the former vice president to reverse his stance on the Hyde Amendment after he reaffirmed his decades-long support for the ban on federal funding for abortions. (Frazin, 6/7)
The Hill: Biden Adviser Pushes Back Against Hyde Reversal Criticism: 'He's Authentic'
A senior adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden defended the 2020 White House hopeful after he reversed his previous support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits using federal funds for abortions. His reversal came just a day after Biden's campaign had reaffirmed his decades-long support for the amendment, which was strongly criticized by other 2020 Democratic candidates as well as groups that support abortion rights. (Frazin, 6/7)
The New York Times: What Is The Hyde Amendment? A Look At Its Impact As Biden Reverses His Stance
As a wave of highly restrictive state laws have made abortion a key issue in the 2020 campaign, the Hyde Amendment has drawn new scrutiny. Numerous presidential candidates had already come out against the provision before Wednesday, when former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. became the only one to say he supported it, prompting intense criticism. By Thursday, almost all of the other 22 candidates in the Democratic race were on the record calling for its repeal. Less than 48 hours after his initial statement, Mr. Biden changed his mind. (Astor, 6/7)
The Washington Post: Henry Hyde, Abortion Amendment's Namesake, Fought Culture Wars Engulfing Joe Biden Today
In 1976, a Republican congressman from the well-heeled western suburbs of Chicago rose on the House floor to make the case for an amendment he had recently introduced, using language that evoked the Nazi plan to exterminate Europe’s Jews. “The only virtue to abortion is that it is a final solution,” the lawmaker said. “Believe me, it is a final solution, especially to the unborn child.” The speaker was Henry J. Hyde, the namesake of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funding for most abortions, making the procedure largely inaccessible for women who rely on Medicaid. (Stanley-Becker, 6/7)
