Anti-abortion groups worry Hyde Amendment’s 50-year run could end with new congressional majority

The Hyde Amendment, first passed in 1976, has blocked federal Medicaid dollars from covering most abortions in every appropriations bill since, and anti-abortion advocates now worry a Democratic takeover of Congress could finally end that run. Americans United for Life spokesperson Gavin Oxley says a 'pro-abortion majority' would likely target Hyde quickly, especially given renewed attention on the issue.

Neither side has managed to codify Hyde into permanent law or codify its repeal, largely because Senate filibuster rules require 60 votes neither side can reliably muster. Even some Republicans have wavered: President Trump reportedly told congressional Republicans in January they needed to be 'a little flexible' on Hyde during Affordable Care Act subsidy negotiations that ultimately went nowhere.

Polling on the issue is thin and old, with results shifting depending on how questions are framed, and no major nonpartisan surveys have been conducted since 2022. Scholars, including a University of Colorado sociologist, note the amendment's real-world harms are well documented but have never translated into policy change.

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