Senator Urges Congress to Keep Hyde in Place: No Taxpayer-Funded Abortions

Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, called on Senate appropriators this week to safeguard longstanding protections against federal funding for elective abortions, emphasizing the Hyde Amendment’s role in preserving life amid ongoing political battles.

In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Cornyn stressed the need to “maintain all provisions that protect against federal funding of elective abortions in any potential conference agreement or appropriations package.

“The Hyde Amendment, first enacted in 1976 as part of the annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill, has barred taxpayer dollars from supporting elective abortions for nearly five decades,” he wrote.

Click here to sign up for pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com

Cornyn highlighted its impact, noting it has saved “more than 2,646,000 lives” since its inception, according to data from the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Cornyn’s plea comes as Congress works to finalize Fiscal Year 2026 spending amid partisan tensions. He referenced recent Republican-led efforts under President Donald Trump, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which defunded the “big abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood” by halting taxpayer funding through Medicaid.

“By halting taxpayer funding of abortion through the Medicaid program, Republicans showed that even in the wake of the historic Dobbs decision, our fight is not over, and we reasserted our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities,” Cornyn wrote.

The senator pointed to an “ongoing legal fight” over the provision as evidence of persistent threats from abortion advocates, adding that Democrats “shut down the government for 43 days in an unsuccessful attempt to undo the work Republicans accomplished in OBBBA, including the progress we made to stop forced taxpayer funding of abortion.”

With negotiations continuing between Republicans and Democrats, Cornyn warned against concessions.

“Now is not the time to give an inch on our pro-life values,” he stated. He urged appropriators to “hold the line against any Democratic efforts to subvert the Hyde amendment; we must maintain all current protections against taxpayer-funded abortions.”

“Lives, and futures, are at stake,” Cornyn concluded in the letter, thanking the chairs for their attention to the issue.