Manchin Votes to Block Illegal VA Abortion Rule

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, cosponsored and voted in favor of a bicameral joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to block an illegal U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rule that provides abortion services through the taxpayer-funded VA healthcare system. This morning, Senator Manchin held a press conference with his fellow cosponsors, Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS), on their efforts to block the rule.

“The VA’s current policy is a blatant violation of federal law,” said Senator Manchin. “Since 1976, there has been bipartisan consensus on the Hyde Amendment because most Americans agree that we should not be using taxpayer dollars to provide abortion services. This rule exceeds the VA’s statutory authority and is another example of the Biden Administration’s growing pattern of prioritizing a political agenda over Constitutional processes. I always have and always will fight to maintain the commonsense protections we’ve had in place for decades to ensure federal tax dollars cannot be used to fund abortions.”

 

The VA published the Interim Final Rule (IFR) in September of 2022.