Joe Manchin demands restrictive abortion measure be included in Democratic reconciliation bill
Washington DC – West Viriginia Senator Joe Manchin strikes again with another absurd demand, making Americans wonder which party he really belongs to.
Manchin, who identifies as a Democrat, said late Wednesday he would not support his party's $3.5-trillion reconciliation package unless it includes a controversial measure limiting federal funds for abortion access.
"Yeah, we’re not taking the Hyde Amendment off. Hyde’s going to be on," Manchin said of the reconciliation bill, as reported by The Hill.
"It has to be. It has to be. That’s dead on arrival if that’s gone."
The Hyde Amendment stipulates that federal programs like Medicaid cannot cover any of the costs of abortion procedures unless the woman's life is in danger or the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
Many of Manchin's colleagues were trying to include a program similar to Medicaid in the reconciliation bill so low-income Americans can access healthcare in the 12 Republican-controlled states that have declined to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Manchin's announcement comes after Texas' six-week abortion ban took effect, sparking a national outcry from women's rights advocates.
The House has since passed the Women's Health Protection Act to guarantee a woman's right to an abortion, but thanks to Manchin and the Republicans, its odds of passage in the Senate remain slim.
As Senate Democrats need all 50 of their votes to pass the reconciliation bill, Manchin wields enormous influence over the proceedings as one of the party's only hold-outs.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo