Biden Keeps Campaign Promise: No Hyde Amendment In Budget

By Frances Langum — May 31, 2021

Biden wasn't always against the Hyde Amendment, but there's a specific reason why he changed his mind.

May we please begin by noting that Rachel Maddow was right back in 2019. Biden's stand on Hyde was modified by the force of women Democrats and their power in the Democratic Party.

Maddow 6/5: I think Vice President Biden's support for the Hyde Amendment "will not outlive the Democratic presidential primary."

(full video: https://t.co/LKWO5KhHHy) pic.twitter.com/vjiGb4DCh1

— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) June 7, 2019

And as I wrote at the time, the other reason Biden COULD change his position is that the Hyde Amendment was a compromise.

The compromise was this: (1) Abortion is legal nationally and (2) Tax dollars won't pay for it.

It's conservatives who broke the compromise with their unending state-to-state shadowbans, straight-up bans, and stacking of the Supreme Court to end Roe.

So our part of that compromise? The "no federal funding" part of the Hyde Amendment? Goes in the trash.

And that was Biden's reasoning as to why he changed his position:

NEWS: Biden says that in an environment where women's health is under assault especially in GOP-led states, he "can no longer support an amendment" that cuts off funding, as in Hyde

— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) June 7, 2019

Activists celebrated the news -- and promised to hold the White House accountable.

WOO HOO! The Biden administration took a huge step forward by introduced a federal budget that does not include the Hyde Amendment and also rolls back a rider that bans DC from spending its own money to provide abortions to low-income women. pic.twitter.com/T7TdqO02yW

— SisterSong (@SisterSong_WOC) May 28, 2021

Budgets are a statement of values. President Biden’s budget proposes to end the harmful Hyde amendment — making clear that federal law should support everyone’s ability to access health care, including safe, legal abortion, in this country. #ReproBlueprint #BeBoldEndHyde pic.twitter.com/BNO1SZQgwa

— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) May 28, 2021

GREAT news: @POTUS has become the first president in decades to remove the Hyde Amendment from the budget, helping advance our fight to end this racist & discriminatory policy once and for all. #BeBoldEndHyde

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) May 28, 2021

Budgets should be a reflection of our values. I am so glad to see @POTUS propose a budget free from the Hyde Amendment.

It’s time to pass a federal budget that affirms abortion care as the fundamental right that it is. https://t.co/pBUgYadeBG

— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) May 28, 2021

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