A group of 22 GOP state attorneys general led by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall signed a letter released on Tuesday calling for President Biden to keep the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funds from going toward abortions, in the White House’s proposed budget.
In the $6 trillion budget that Biden unveiled in May, the Hyde Amendment was left out, confirming a campaign promise that he Biden had made the do away with the measure.
“We were disappointed to find the conspicuous omission of the Hyde Amendment in the budget proposal that President Biden delivered to Congress earlier this month,” the letter from the attorneys general read.
The Republican attorneys general who signed the letter include: Ashley Moody (Fla.), Chris Carr (Ga.), Daniel Cameron (Ky.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and Ken Paxton (Texas).
They argued that the Hyde Amendment was put in place due to many taxpayers objecting to abortions, therefore making it “unconscionable to force them to pay for abortions by using their tax dollars for that purpose.”
“Fighting for the freedom of conscience has been a hallmark of state attorneys general. We have a unique interest in the Hyde Amendment as an important protection for the consciences of the millions of Americans who oppose public funding of abortion,” they added.
They attorneys general also argued that eliminating the Hyde Amendment was contributing to “wasteful spending on government programs that do not promote the general welfare.”
In their four-page letter, the attorneys general took aim at other social issues that have become popular talking points among the GOP including critical race theory, transgender health care and stimulus payments, writing that these were hallmarks of the “far-left agenda that now defines the Democratic Party.”