CV NEWS FEED // The Senate on Wednesday narrowly voted down a resolution condemning a new Veterans Affairs Administration abortion rule that provides taxpayer funding for abortions at military facilities.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of Virginia was the only member of his party to vote for the resolution, saying of the pro-abortion rule: “You just can’t arbitrarily do what they’re doing by making an executive decision.”

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine voted against the resolution, which was introduced by fellow Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, did not vote.

The 48-51 vote came amid heavy pressure from leading Democrats and the Biden administration.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer denounced the effort to stop the Biden administration’s advancement of abortion via the Veterans Affairs Administration. “The MAGA GOP wants to strip freedom of choice from everyone—even our nation’s heroes,” Manchin said.

President Biden threatened to use his veto pen to ensure the military would continue paying for abortions.

“The White House on Wednesday threatened a veto of a resolution that would invalidate a rule issued last year by the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer abortions in certain cases and abortion counseling to veterans,” The Hill reported. “In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House warned the resolution ‘undermines patient safety and invites political interference into deeply personal decisions made by pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries….’”

Tuberville blasted the White House over the new policy.

“Using our VA medical facilities to provide taxpayer-funded abortions is illegal and wrong,” Tuberville said in a statement the day before the vote in the Senate. “The VA’s new policy is a blatant violation of federal law. It forces taxpayers to fund abortions at VA facilities.”

CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky agreed, adding that the VA rule was not only a “stridently political move unbecoming of the military,” but also a “clear rejection of the commonsense and bipartisan Hyde amendment,” which forbids the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
The VA rule change to offer abortions at military facilities came as a direct response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. The day of that ruling, President Joe Biden pledged an “all-of-government” campaign to promote abortions.

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