A human trafficking bill is set to be defeated by Democrats because a fund it establishes won’t pay for abortion. From the Politico story:
The aim of the bill, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), is simple. It would create a “Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund” financed by fines from crimes, with the money used to aid victims. The legislation breezed through a Judiciary Committee markup on Feb. 26 with minimal changes, and seemed set for easy passage sometime this month.
But when GOP staffers began promoting the legislation, Democrats say they didn’t mention they had included language that would bar money from the fund from being used for abortions. And Democrats didn’t notice it until this week.
The provision is essentially an expansion of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funds from being used for abortions and is routinely included in spending bills. Provisions similar to the Hyde Amendment are included in other types of programs, such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The Democrat senators and staff didn’t read the bill–they say–until after it was approved easily through committee. Hmmm. When has that happened before?
So, what have we learned? That senators are inept?
Yes, but that’s not all. To Democrats, abortion matters more than sex slavery.