Lankford, Rubio and Colleagues Want to Nullify Biden Administration Rule, Stop Federal Grants to Abortion Providers

WASHINGTON, DC —Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and 31 Republican Senators introduced a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the Biden Administration’s 2021 Final Rule on the Title X Family Planning Program, which reversed the Trump Administration’s 2019 Protect Life Rule that required family planning grantees to be physically and financially separate from abortion providers. The 2019 rule did not reduce Title X funding, but simply redirected it to providers that do not perform or promote abortions as part of their “family planning” practices. Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX) introduced a companion resolution in the House of Representatives.  

Lankford opposed the effort when the Biden Administration first proposed their rule to direct tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to prop up Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry. 

Joining Lankford and Rubio were Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Boozman (R-AR), John Thune (R-SD), Steve Daines (R-MT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Kennedy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). 

The Susan B. Anthony List, National Right to Life, Family Research Council, and Heritage Action support the resolution.

“President Biden has been the most pro-abortion president in our nation’s history and continues to use taxpayer dollars to promote abortion and prop up the abortion industry, like Planned Parenthood,” Lankford said. “With half of the nation opposed to abortion, it should not be controversial to require that no taxpayer should be forced to fund abortion providers. We must overturn Biden’s rule that allows Title X Family Planning grants to go directly to abortion providers.”

“The Biden Administration’s rule is an assault on the most sacred and fundamental human right, the right to life,” Rubio said. “I will continue to protect the sanctity of life and do everything I can to make sure taxpayer dollars are not used for or promote abortions.” 

“Title X is intended to fund comprehensive family planning and preventative services, not abortion providers,” Gonzales said. “Dollars allocated under this program should be spent on services focused on the mother and child’s well-being. The proposed reversal will guarantee that clinics funded by Title X are separated from abortion providers, ensuring that more funds go towards substantive family and women’s health care providers, and that taxpayers never foot the bill for abortions.”

“When it comes to a choice between the life of a child and a ‘right to choose,’ I am always on the side of the child,” Risch said. “We must keep fighting to prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortions and continue our work to protect the unborn.”

“Taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund abortions, full stop,” Cruz said. “I remain committed to restore a culture where every human life is respected and protected as a precious gift from God.”

“After more than a year in office, President Biden has proven time and again that he’s beholden to the demands of the radical Left, and his move to reverse the Trump administration’s commonsense ban on federal tax dollars from going to abortion providers is only the latest instance to show it,” Ernst said. “Iowans can be assured that I will always stand up for life and will do everything I can to make sure our tax dollars are never used to promote abortion.” 

“Abortion is not health care and taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize the destruction of human life,” Boozman said. “Organizations like Planned Parenthood that prioritize abortion have once again been emboldened by the Biden administration, and I’m proud to join my colleagues to challenge this rule and reaffirm our commitment to the sanctity and value of unborn children.”

“I am disappointed that President Biden has reversed the Protect Life Rule and once again sided with the radical abortion lobby,” Thune said. “I will continue to stand up to the administration’s egregious anti-life policies and ensure that hard-earned taxpayer dollars are not funding known abortion providers.” 

“It is an egregious abuse of taxpayer dollars for Secretary Becerra and President Biden to funnel millions of taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry, siphoning these funds away from providers who care for both mother and child,” Daines said. “Congress should swiftly overturn this illegal and wrongheaded Biden Title X rule, and restore critical protections for the most vulnerable among us.”

“The purpose of Title X is to improve access to reproductive health care. It should not be a backdoor to provide taxpayer funding to abortion providers,” Barrasso said. “President Biden has made it his mission to eliminate commonsense protections preventing taxpayer dollars to be spent on abortions. This attack on Title X is another example of his administration’s relentless support of radical pro-abortion policies.” 

“We are committed to protecting the unborn and respecting the sanctity of life,” Hoeven said. “This legislation is part of this effort and would ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used for abortion.”  

“The Biden Administration is continuing its all-out assault on innocent unborn life. Democrats continue to shovel millions to abortion providers, perpetuating the greatest human rights crisis of our time,” Hawley said. “It must end.“ 

“People in Wyoming do not want their tax dollars funding organizations that promote abortion,” Lummis said. “I’m proud to support Senator Rubio’s effort to stop this inappropriate use of federal funding, and instead focus on programs that assist mothers and their children.”

“The right to life is our most precious and fundamental right. The Biden Administration’s Title X Family Planning Program rule directed millions of taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers,” Cramer said.“This is an attack on all life. Our resolution overturns this rule and rightly protects all life – born and unborn.”

“I have and will continue to champion pro-life policies that show compassion to both mothers and the unborn,” Fischer said. “Congress should utilize its oversight tools to reverse the Biden Administration’s ongoing attack on the right to life. This effort would ensure taxpayer funds are not being used for abortions.” 

“It is our sacred responsibility to protect babies, born and unborn, from all acts of violence,” R. Scott said. “President Biden’s efforts to roll back basic pro-life protections that prevent taxpayer dollars from flowing to massive abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, are disgusting and must be stopped. This legislation can stop the Biden administration from promoting their inhumane, anti-science agenda and I hope all my colleagues join me to support this measure.”

“Most Americans agree that taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund abortions, a fact that hasn’t deterred President Biden and his administration from rejecting that longstanding principle to broaden access to abortions,” Hyde-Smith said.  “Abortion is not healthcare.  This proposed reversal will ensure taxpayers dollar are used to protect mothers and their babies, not to hurt them.”

“We have a responsibility to protect those most vulnerable—particularly the unborn,” Cotton said. “Abortion isn’t ‘family planning,’ and American tax dollars shouldn’t be sent to organizations that view it as such.”

“I’ve joined Sen. Rubio and a number of my Republican colleagues in standing for life today,” Inhofe said. “We have introduced a resolution to overturn the harmful Biden rule on the Title X Family Planning Program, which allows the government to funnel millions of taxpayer dollars to abortion providers. We made great progress under the Trump administration to give voice to the voiceless and I will continue to fight for every unborn baby—even if the Biden administration will not.”

“Abortion is neither family planning nor health care, and the Biden Administration should not be forcing American taxpayers to subsidize it using federal health care grants,” Hagerty said. “This resolution nullifies this regulatory abuse and is a critical step in protecting unborn children, preserving the sanctity of life, and preventing taxpayer funding of abortion.”

“The Trump administration made the right choice in banning Title X dollars from funding abortion,” Kennedy said.“Unfortunately, President Biden decided to reverse that ban and send taxpayer money to support snuffing out innocent lives in the womb. I’m proud to join Sen. Rubio in working to nullify President Biden’s unilateral move so that we can protect unborn life and Americans’ consciences.” 

“The Biden administration’s anti-family, pro-abortion agenda is drastically out of touch with the pro-life, conservative values of Alabamians,” Tuberville said. “President Biden’s Title X rule unfairly targets those who support the sanctity of life and funnels taxpayer dollars to pro-abortion groups. It is unconscionable. I am proud to stand with my colleagues to introduce a resolution to nullify this rule and will continue to be a voice for the most vulnerable among us – the unborn.”

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