The Susan B. Anthony List is readying an assault against the Biden administration’s agenda for the federal budget that the pro-life group argues has opened the door to taxpayer funding for abortions.
The pro-life group is counting on its Republican allies to fight tooth-and-nail over federal appropriations but believes Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, will come through as its ace in the hole.
President Biden’s budget proposal makes no mention of the Hyde amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion. As Mr. Biden omitted the provision that dates back to 1976 from his $6 trillion budget proposal, the SBA List has courted allies on both sides of the aisle to slow Mr. Biden’s agenda down.
The pro-life group is counting on Republican representatives on the House Appropriations Committee, particularly Reps. Kay Granger of Texas and Ashley Hinson of Iowa, to fight for language in appropriations bills that pro-life advocates want included, according to SBA List spokeswoman Prudence Robertson.
Ms. Granger is the top-ranking Republican on the appropriations committee.
If the Democratic majority controlling Congress prevails in fighting off Republican efforts to maintain restrictions on taxpayer funding for abortions and related language in appropriations bills, also called ’riders,’ then pro-life advocates will look for Republicans to block the budget’s passage, according to Autumn Christensen, SBA List policy director.
“The good news is if the Congress is unsuccessful in passing a budget, they’re forced to go to what’s called a continuing resolution and the riders are protected in that scenario,” said Ms. Christensen at a May briefing with reporters. “Also, the good news is that we still have the filibuster in the Senate and we are working tirelessly to protect the filibuster.”
Ms. Christensen said, as long as 40 of the Senate’s 50 Republicans oppose any bill that eliminates the Hyde Amendment, then pro-life advocates have an opportunity to obstruct the Biden administration from accomplishing its agenda on abortion.
Key to pro-life advocates’ obstruction plan is Mr. Manchin’s stance against scrapping the filibuster, a rule that requires most legislation to survive a 60-vote hurdle in the Senate, which is presently divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.
SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said she is confident that the filibuster will remain after an extended meeting she held with Mr. Manchin before a May briefing with reporters.
Ms. Dannenfelser said at the May briefing that Mr. Manchin will act to protect the Hyde Amendment.
“His role in the appropriations committee is pivotal; he takes it very seriously. This is his fight, he believes,” Ms. Dannenfelser told reporters. “I’m confident that we will not only have his vote but his advocacy there.”
Mr. Manchin’s opposition to scrapping the filibuster is crucial to pro-life advocates’ planning, and Ms. Robertson noted that SBA List is running ads in West Virginia thanking him for his stance on the filibuster.
To tilt Congress’ balance of power, SBA List has also mounted a $2 million advertising campaign surrounding the Supreme Court’s review of a Mississippi law limiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The 30-second ad says the unborn fall victim to outdated laws and calls for the law to reflect modern science while showing images of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“We have 2022 in mind and the events of the past few weeks are some of the clearest proof that elections have consequences,” said Ms. Robertson about the ad. “In 2016, the people elected President Trump who went on to confirm Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and that’s why we have the court that we do today. So we know that this is going to galvanize voters so that’s why we’re pushing out this campaign.”
The ad was slated to run on national cable television, including Bravo and Lifetime as well as streaming services and certain news channels in the D.C. market.
But Ms. Robertson said CBS, CMT, and the Hallmark Channel all rejected airing the ad.
Such refusals have not stopped SBA List from getting its message out to voters. Ms. Robertson said SBA List is gearing up for grassroots activism as COVID-related restrictions lift and she noted that the group’s leadership had recently traveled to South Dakota and Montana for work on pro-life policies.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
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