A one-year ban on abortion providers being able to bill Medicaid for non-abortion services, which was included in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Trump signed last year, expired on July 5.
Anti-abortion activists have for months been calling for such a provision to be included in another bill that could go through the same special budget reconciliation process that bypasses the threat of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, allowing Republicans to push partisan legislation through both chambers.
“That's a terrible decision on the part of House leadership,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told The Hill. "I can't wait to hear the explanation for that. But it's absolutely terrible.”
Election year politics and a narrow congressional majority have made GOP leaders hesitant about including controversial anti-abortion measures into their recent party-line bills.
Lawmakers are entering a sprint to the mid-term elections with only a few dozen legislative days between now and November, meaning Republicans need to act quickly if they want any of their priorities to pass.
The dynamic threatens to exacerbate the tension between Republicans and anti-abortion activists, who were already expressing displeasure with the Trump administration for not doing enough to curtail mail-order abortion pills.
“The clock was our greatest threat to the broader opportunities,” House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said. “Introduce that, then you’re going to have a whole set of moving parts.”
Anti-abortion activists and lawmakers are now hopeful the Trump administration will do more.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in his Wednesday confirmation hearing pledged to prioritize action to stop abortion medication from being available through the mail, in an encouraging sign for anti-abortion advocates.
Two days later, Hawley sent Blanche a letter asking him to investigate the nonprofit Plan C and manufacturer Danco Laboratories for shipping the abortion pill mifepristone in the mail.
“This coordinated effort between Plan C and the abortion drug manufacturers to violate state law at the expense of women’s health deserves the closest scrutiny,” Hawley wrote.
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