Rep. Biggs Sends Letter Opposing Legislation That Does Not Include Pro-Life Protections

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, issued the following news release on June 25, 2021:

Congressman Andy Biggs, along with forty-five of his colleagues, sent a letter to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraging them to oppose President Biden's budget proposal and any legislation that does not include provisions protecting the sanctity of life, such as the Hyde Amendment.

"Democrats are trying to force all Americans to pay for abortions. The Left's disregard for life is appalling. The gift of life is sacred. The Hyde Amendment prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for abortions. Despite constant attacks from the depraved Left, I will continue to fight to protect the lives of the unborn." - Congressman Andy Biggs

Co-signers: Congressman Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15), Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Congressman Scott Perry (PA-04), Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT- At Large), Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10), Congressman Clay Higgins (LA-03), Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09), Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), Congressman Ted Budd (NC-13), Congressman Tracy Mann (KS-01), Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03), Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14), Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21), Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Congressman Billy Long (MO-07), Congressman Garret Graves (LA-06), Congressman Alex Mooney (WV-02), Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Congressman Bob Good (VA-05), Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01), Congressman Dan Bishop (NC-09), Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27), Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (TN-01), Congressman Jodey C. Arrington (TX-19), Congressman Ralph Norman (SC-05), Congressman Lance Gooden (TX-05), Congressman Brian Babin, D.D.S. (TX-36), Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01), Congressman Warren Davidson (OH-08), Congressman Jim Jordan (OH-04), Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06), Congresswoman Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Congressman Greg Steube (FL-17), Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01), Congressman Bill Johnson (OH-06), Congressman David McKinley (WV-01), Congressman Jake LaTurner (KS-02), Congressman Ben Cline (VA-06), Congressman Scott Franklin (FL-15)

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June 25, 2021

Dear Leader McCarthy and Leader McConnell,

We encourage you to join us in opposition to President Biden's budget and reject any legislation that does not include provisions protecting the sanctity of life. On May 28, 2021, President Biden released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2022. Regrettably, it does not include pro-life protections such as the Hyde Amendment.

Originally introduced in 1976, the Hyde Amendment ensures that American tax dollars are not spent on abortions. It has enjoyed bipartisan support since it was first introduced. Every president from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump included it in their budget proposals or signed it into law. Even President Obama, thought by some to be the most pro-abortion president in our nation's history, included protections for the unborn in each of his annual budgets.

The Hyde Amendment is a long-standing pro-life protection that reflects the will of the American people. A Marist poll released in January 2021 found that 58 percent of Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortions, including 65 percent of Independents and 31 percent of Democrats.[1] But legalization of abortion is not enough for pro-choice extremists; they want others to pay for taking the life of their unborn babies.

The Hyde Amendment saves lives by reducing abortions. Over the last four decades, the Hyde Amendment has prevented over two million deaths and continues to protect the conscience rights of the majority of Americans who oppose funding abortions.

Often our Democrat colleagues talk of standing up for communities of color, but they refuse to recognize that a disproportionate number of abortions in the United States kill black and Latino babies.[2] This number will increase if the federal government begins to fund abortions. If our Democrat colleagues truly cared about communities of color, they would advocate for policies that lead women out of situations where abortion seems like the only option rather than advocate for policies that will lead to the deaths of millions of children.

Protecting life strikes at the heart of who we are as a people. Our founding document enshrined the self-evident truth "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."[3] For more than four decades, the Hyde Amendment has been at the forefront of Congress's continued commitment to our nation's founding principles. Removing it from legislation would be a dramatic shift in our stance on protecting life and would signify the federal government's betrayal of our founding ideals.

We cannot allow President Biden and his radical allies in Congress to trample on America's founding principles by eroding protections for the most vulnerable Americans. We urge you to stand with us in defending the sanctity of life and reject any proposal made by President Biden or congressional Democrats that does not include strong pro-life protections.

Sincerely,

Andy Biggs

Member of Congress