WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) joined 46 of his Senate colleagues today in introducing the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act to establish a permanent prohibition on federal funding for abortion, replacing the current restrictions with a single, government-wide standard:

“The Declaration of Independence itself guarantees the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and I believe that right to life extends to the unborn,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation reflects the opinion held by a majority of Americans who oppose using taxpayer dollars to support abortions, and I am proud to support it.”

This legislation is cosponsored by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), and Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Rand Paul (R-KY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), James Risch (R-ID), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Todd Young (R-IN).

Background:

For more than 40 years, an inconsistent and haphazard set of policies have regulated federal funding for abortion. This legislation would make permanent the restrictions on funding for elective abortion and elective abortion coverage, including the Hyde Amendment, which currently rely on yearly approval. It would also eliminate Obamacare’s taxpayer subsidies for elective abortion coverage on the Affordable Care Act exchanges through refundable tax credits.

Full text of the bill can be found here.