Rep. Pittenger: Writing for Life

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 -- Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., issued the following news release:

As hundreds of thousands of pro-life supporters come to Washington for today's March for Life, Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) sent a letter to President Trump outlining shared pro-life priorities for Congress and the new Administration. Congressman Pittenger's letter was co-led by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Chairman Diane Black (TN-06) and was co-signed by nearly 150 additional Members of Congress. Click here to read the letter.

"The alignment of pro-life majorities in Congress and your election to the White House presents a critical opportunity to protect our most vulnerable from the brutal act of abortion and affirm that women deserve better than abortion," the letter states.

Complementing a letter from President Trump to pro-life leaders during the campaign, Congressman Pittenger's letter specifically cites four priorities:

* Nominating pro-life justices to the U.S. Supreme Court

* Enacting the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

* Ending taxpayer funding of the abortion industry, specifically Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider

* Making the Hyde Amendment permanent and government-wide law

The U.S. House of Representatives has already taken action toward these policy goals, passing bipartisan legislation on Tuesday to make the Hyde Amendment government-wide law (H.R. 7, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act).

"Among its many failures, Obamacare does not conform to the Hyde Amendment, and so taxpayer dollars are flowing to over 1,000 abortion-covering health plans according to a 2014 audit. We look forward to working with you to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a program that does not include subsidies for abortion," the letter continues.

The U.S. House of Representatives is also poised to reallocate tax dollars away from the big abortion business Planned Parenthood through the budget reconciliation bill and redirect those funds to community health centers, which offer more accessible and more comprehensive women's health care, as a part of efforts to repair the healthcare system.

The letter notes, "In 2015 Congress sent a budget reconciliation bill to President Obama that disqualified the nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds as long as it continues doing abortions. Those funds would have instead been reallocated to community health centers, which provide a broader range of preventive health care services to women and outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics by a margin of 20 to 1. President Obama vetoed this bill. We look forward to your signature enacting this life-affirming policy when Congress sends you its budget reconciliation bill early in 2017."

Additionally, the letter highlights that House Members are eager to work towards passing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which protects children from painful late-term abortions.

The letter also praises President Trump for reinstating the Mexico City Policy earlier this week. The Mexico City Policy affirms respect for unborn life in foreign aid funding by requiring foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to agree, as a condition of their receipt of U.S. federal grant money, to neither perform nor promote abortion as a method of family planning overseas.

"A few weeks ago, my family was blessed with the arrival of a beautiful baby girl, our 10th grandchild!" added Congressman Pittenger. "If you've ever held a newborn, so defenseless and completely dependent on you, you'll understand why the idea that some people advocate for the murder of little babies is sickening. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to fight for the unalienable right to life, and the preservation and value of every human life.

The letter was co-signed by United States Representatives Chris Smith (NJ-04), Diane Black (TN-06), Steve Scalise (LA-01), Mia Love (UT-04), Pete King (NY-02), Walter Jones (NC-03), Trent Franks (AZ-08), Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Jim Bridenstine (OK-01), Ann Wagner (MO-02), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Mike Kelly (PA-03), Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Sam Graves (MO-06), Andy Harris (MD-01), Steve Russell (OK-05), Ted Yoho (FL-03), Mark Meadows (NC-11), Peter Roskam (IL-06), Jody Hice (GA-10), Ralph Abraham (LA-05), Steve Pearce (NM-02), Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Mike Conaway (TX-11), Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Rob Woodall (GA-07), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Tim Walberg (MI-07), Glenn 'GT' Thompson (PA-05), Bill Huizenga (MI-02), David Rouzer (NC-07), Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), Sean Duffy (WI-07), Scott Perry (PA-04), Jason Chaffetz (UT-03), Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01), Bill Flores (TX-17), Brian Mast (FL-18), Mike Johnson (LA-04), Joe Wilson (SC-02), Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Brian Babin (TX-36), Robert Wittman (VA-01), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Pete Olson (TX-22), Marsha Blackburn (TN-07), Brad Wenstrup (OH-02), Andy Barr (KY-06), Phil Roe (TN-01), Keith Rothfus (PA-12), Joe Barton (TX-06), Don Bacon (NE-02), Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), John Moolenaar (MI-04), Blake Farenthold (TX-27), Mark Walker (NC-06), Lamar Smith (TX-21), Duncan Hunter (CA-50), Rodney Davis (IL-13), Vicky Hartzler (MO-04), Jackie Walorski (IN-02), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Lynn Jenkins (KS-02), Randy Weber (TX-14), Dennis Ross (FL-15), Kevin Cramer (ND), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Paul Cook (CA-08), John Shimkus (IL-15), David Valadao (CA-21), Kenny Marchant (TX-24), Doug Collins (GA-09), Tom Cole (OK-04), Pete Sessions (TX-32), Austin Scott (GA-08), Jim Jordan (OH-04), Bill Johnson (OH-06), Bill Posey (FL-06), Steve Womack (AR-03), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Mike Bost (IL-12), Rick Crawford (AR-01), Alex Mooney (WV-02), Tom Rooney (FL-17), Scott DesJarlais (TN-04), Tom Emmer (MN-06), George Holding (NC-02), Jim Banks (IN-03), French Hill (AR-02), Bradley Byrne (AL-01), David McKinley (WV-01), Martha Roby (AL-02), Dave Joyce (OH-14), Daniel Webster (FL-11), Ted Budd (NC-13), Jason Smith (MO-08), Pat Tiberi (OH-12), James Comer (KY-01), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Roger Marshall (KS-01), Steven Palazzo (MS-04), Evan Jenkins (WV-03), Claudia Tenney (NY-22), Gary Palmer (AL-06), Bob Goodlatte (VA-06), David Kustoff (TN-08), Neal Dunn (FL-02), Robert E. Latta (OH-05), Billy Long (MO-07), John Culberson (TX-07), Raul Labrador (ID-01), Chris Stewart (UT-02), Dave Brat (VA-07), Kevin Yoder (KS-03), Gregg Harper (MS-03), Sam Johnson (TX-03), Warren Davidson (OH-08), Darin LaHood (IL-18), Kristi Noem (SD), Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Paul Mitchell (MI-10), Rick Allen (GA-12), Steve Knight (CA-25), Drew Ferguson (GA-03), Mike Turner (OH-10), Trent Kelly (MS-01), Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Justin Amash (MI-03), Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Lloyd Smucker (PA-16), Francis Rooney (FL-19), Jim Renacci (OH-16), Mike Bishop (MI-08), Liz Cheney (WY-AL), John Rutherford (FL-04), Jodey Arrington (TX-19), Clay Higgins (LA-03), Bruce Westerman (AR-04), James Sensenbrenner (WI-05), Kevin Brady (TX-08), Jack Bergman (MI-01), and John Ratcliffe (TX-04).

Click here to read the letter (http://pittenger.house.gov/sites/pittenger.house.gov/files/documents/Pro%20Life%20Letter%20to%20President%20Trump.pdf).

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