Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), leader of the House progressives, pushed back on one of centrist West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s demands for Democrats’ massive reconciliation spending package, saying Sunday morning that she will not support the bill if it includes the Hyde Amendment.
With the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party continuing to negotiate President Joe Bidens’s agenda-setting $3.5 trillion social policy bill, Manchin—who describes himself as “pro-life”— made it clear last week that he would only vote for the bill if the Hyde Amendment is part of it. (The amendment prevents federal programs from covering abortion expenses.)
“Yeah, we’re not taking the Hyde Amendment off. Hyde’s going to be on,” the conservative Democrat told right-wing magazine National Review last week. “That’s dead on arrival if that’s gone.”
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Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Jayapal first discussed the ongoing negotiations about the price tag of the spending package and what may need to be cut or trimmed down in order for it to pass. She was then asked about Manchin’s remarks about the anti-abortion provision.
“You shared your experience with abortion in congressional testimony this past week,” anchor Dana Bash noted. “Can you vote for a bill that has the Hyde Amendment in it?”
“No,” Jayapal flatly declared.
“So what happens?” Bash countered.
The Washington congresswoman replied that “this is a negotiation” before claiming that the Hyde Amendment is something “the majority of the country does not support.” She also said that one in four American women have had an abortion and are in need of reproductive care during a time “when those protections are being rolled back,” referencing the plethora of anti-abortion laws that have recently been passed.
“That is nobody’s business,” Jayapal added. “It is our business as people that carry the babies. And we have to be able to make the choices during our pregnancy.”
Bash, meanwhile, wondered aloud if the congresswoman was then pushing for federal money to be spent on abortion in this spending package.
“No. None of the dollars here are going for that,” Jayapal responded, adding that she believes Manchin is asking for “something more than” just the Hyde Amendment.
