U.S. Senate to vote on Tuberville resolution to overturn VA rule later today
WASHINGTON — This morning, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) was joined by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) in a press conference voicing their strong opposition to the VA’s illegal new abortion policy. The press conference comes ahead of the U.S. Senate’s expected vote on Senator Tuberville’s resolution to overturn the policy later today.
Excerpts from Senator Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, and his full remarks can be found here.
“In a few hours we’re going to vote to overturn the Veterans Affairs Department’s new abortion policy. We’re going to vote to overturn it because it is illegal, it is wrong, and it abuses taxpayer dollars. In September the VA announced they were going to start performing abortions. The VA had never done abortions before.”
“Congress banned abortion at the VA 30 years ago. It was unanimous. One of the Senators who voted for that bill was Joe Biden. We have never repealed this law. It is still on the books and the Administration needs to follow it. The Administration doesn’t get to change the law without a vote in Congress.”
“This is about taxpayer dollars. The Administration is spending money Congress never authorized and never appropriated. We’re supposed to have an appropriations process in this city. Yet, the Biden Administration seems to think they don’t need to follow the appropriations process.”
“There has been a bipartisan consensus for 40 years that we should not spend taxpayer dollars on abortion. Many of the Senators complaining about this resolution have voted for the Hyde Amendment. Some of them have voted for the Hyde Amendment many times. This is an attack on doctors and nurses who have conscience objections.”
“We’ve got Christian doctors and nurses at VA facilities worried about getting fired because of who they are. We don’t need to purge medical staff from our VA system right now. We want to attract people to work at the VA, not drive them away.”
BACKGROUND
On September 9, 2022, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced its intention to begin providing abortion services for veterans and their dependents through the taxpayer-funded VA health care system. This is a blatant violation of Section 106 of the Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, which explicitly prohibits the VA from providing abortion services.
On October 11, 2022, Senator Tuberville joined 38 of his congressional colleagues in a letter to Secretary McDonough opposing the VA’s rule. On February 8, 2023, Senator Tuberville led a group of more than 65 colleagues in introducing this bicameral joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse the VA’s abortion rule.
The resolution, which has 35 cosponsors in the Senate and 51 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, has been endorsed by Susan B. Anthony Pro Life-America, March for Life, National Right to Life, Catholic Vote, Heritage Action for America, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, Family Research Council, and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The CRA gives Congress the authority to review major rules issued by federal agencies before they take effect. If Congress disapproves of a rule via resolution, the rule will have no force or effect under the law.
FOX NEWS: Sen. Tuberville, Rep. Cloud introduce resolution to stop Veteran’s Affairs from providing abortions
PRESS RELEASE: Tuberville, Cloud Lead Bicameral Effort to Block Illegal VA Abortion Rule
PRESS RELEASE: Tuberville, Colleagues Urge VA to Stop Providing Illegal Abortions
PRESS RELEASE: Tuberville Presses VA Secretary About Priorities for Veterans’ Care
WATCH: Tuberville Questions Secretary McDonough About VA Abortions
1819 NEWS: Tuberville pushes resolution to fight VA abortion rules
YELLOWHAMMER: Tuberville leads effort to block VA abortion rule
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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