Trump Tells House Republicans to Be ‘Flexible’ on Hyde Amendment in Health-Care Negotiations

President Donald Trump urged House Republicans on Tuesday to be “flexible” on Hyde Amendment protections in any health-care package the party considers in the new year, frustrating pro-life groups and lawmakers who view the legislative provision that prohibits taxpayer funding for most abortion procedures as a nonnegotiable in any GOP-drafted legislation to bring down health-care costs.

“Let the money go — in the health-care account or however you do it — let the money go directly to the people,” Trump told House Republicans in reference to his support for a proposal that would direct federal funding into health savings accounts. “Now, you have to be a little flexible on Hyde. You know that.”

The president’s request for flexibility on this extremely controversial issue is not surprising. As National Review reported in late November, administration officials spent the lead-up to the Thanksgiving holiday urging some prominent pro-life leaders to avoid speaking publicly about Hyde Amendment concerns related to legislative dealings surrounding Obamacare subsidy extensions. The worry was that doing so might hamper negotiations at a critical time.

Not every pro-life group has stayed silent. Following Trump’s Tuesday remarks, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser released a statement reiterating her organization’s belief that Hyde Amendment concerns must remain paramount in any health-care package put forward by Republicans.

“For decades, opposition to taxpayer funding of abortion and support for the Hyde Amendment has been an unshakeable bedrock principle and a minimum standard in the Republican Party,” Dannenfelser said. “To suggest Republicans should be ‘flexible’ is an abandonment of this decades-long commitment. If Republicans abandon Hyde, they are sure to lose this November.

“The voters sent a GOP trifecta to Washington and they expect it to govern like one,” she added. “Giving in to Democrat demands that our tax dollars are used to fund plans that cover abortion on demand until birth would be a massive betrayal.”