By Mary Margaret Olohan Daily Caller News Foundation
Democratic senators plan to introduce legislation that would repeal the Hyde Amendment, arguing that the decades-old legislation is both "anti-choice" and "blatantly racist."
The Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act will be introduced in Congress Thursday, the HuffPost reported, by Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Democratic California Sen. Barbara Lee. The legislation demands the reversal of the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for abortions.
Duckworth and Lee argue that the Hyde Amendment prevents low-income women and women of color from accessing abortions.
"This isn't about what side you're on in the abortion debate, it's about equality and opportunity plain and simple," Duckworth said Wednesday, HuffPost reported. "Whatever you think about the procedure, we should all agree that what's legal for wealthy Americans should not be so inaccessible for Americans of color and low-income Americans."
"Let's call this amendment what it is: It's anti-choice and it's blatantly racist," Lee said during a Wednesday call with reporters. "We know it disproportionately impacts low-income people and women of color. It should never have been signed into law and it's way past time that it was repealed. The Hyde Amendment has been used by anti-choice politicians to keep abortion care out of the reach for people already marginalized by our health care system."
Reverend Dean Nelson, the Human Coalition Action Executive Director, told the Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday that the Hyde Amendment is one of the few remaining legal barriers to "the abortion industry's systematic and racist exploitation of people of color."
President Joe Biden on Thursday spoke of going to the Senate "120 years ago," claimed nothing has changed on the border regarding illegal immigration, and outlined more ambitious goals for COVID-19 vaccinations and the reopening of schools.
On Day 65 of his presidency, Biden held his first press conference, fielding questions from 10 reporters in a formal question-and-answer session that lasted just over an hour.
In some cases, reporters pressed Biden, particularly on issues pertaining to the immigration crisis at the border. Other reporters, however, seemed to echo Democratic talking points in accusing Republicans of pursuing "voter suppression," while another characterized Biden as being "decent and moral."
The following are seven highlights from the press conference.
1) Go Back to Filibuster of '120 Years Ago'
Biden hinted that he was open to abolishing the Senate filibuster, but preferred to return to an old-fashioned filibuster that required a senator to hold the floor and talk at length.
"We should go back to a position with the filibuster that existed when I came to the United States Senate 120 years ago," Biden said. It wasn't clear whether that was intended as a self-deprecating joke about his long tenure in Washington, since he didn't smile or laugh.
Biden then seemed to fumble for words and statistics.
"I had a card on it, so I was going to give you the statistics, but you probably know them," Biden said. "That used to be that, uh, well, that between 1917 and 1971, the filibuster existed, there were a total of 58 motions to break a filibuster that whole time."
The president noted that the filibuster was particularly abused in the Senate during the last year, when his fellow Democrats were in the minority. Generally, only the minority party uses the filibuster.
"Last year alone, there were five times that many. So, it's being abused in a gigantic way," Biden said. "For example, it used to be, you had to stand there and talk and talk and talk until you collapsed.
Guess what? People got tired of talking and tired of collapsing. Filibusters broke down. We were able to break the filibuster, and get a quorum and vote.
Biden added that he essentially needs to get 50 votes for Vice President Kamala Harris to cast the tie-breaking vote in the 100-member Senate, or to get 51 votes without her.
He seemed to verbally stumble again when making that point.
"I have never been particularly poor at calculating how to get things done in the United States Senate," Biden said. "So, the best way to get something done if you hold it near and dear to you that-uh, like to be able to, uh, anyway-we're ready to get a lot done."
He added, "If we have to, if there is complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster, then we'll have to go beyond what I'm talking about."
CNN's Kaitlan Collins subsequently asked, "President Barack Obama said he believed the filibuster was a relic of the Jim Crow era. Do you agree?"
Biden answered, "Yes."
She followed up: "Why not abolish it if it's a relic of the Jim Crow era?"
Biden said: "Successful electoral politics is the art of the possible. Let's figure out how we can get this done and move in the direction of significantly changing the abuse of the filibuster rule first.
"It has been abused since it came into being by an extreme way in the last 20 years. Let's deal with the abuse first."
2) 'Moral, Decent' Biden: 'Nothing Has Changed' on Border
PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked Biden, "The perception of you that got you elected as a moral, decent man is the reason that a lot of immigrants are coming to this country and trusting you with unaccompanied minors.
"How do you resolve that tension, and how are you choosing which families can stay and which can go?
The public policy and legislative work of Tennessee Eagle Forum (TEF) is made possible by the gifts of our generous donors and continues despite the constraints of the pandemic. The General Assembly is now in session and there is MUCH to accomplish this session. Won't you consider helping us to stand strong on behalf of the families of Tennessee?
We went through a period of time where there were problems with our DONATION process, but thankfully, those problems have been resolved and we would love for you to Donate Here. [Because we lobby for you, donations to TEF are not tax deductible.]
.png)
