The Proposed Protecting Life Rule

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESTES of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the new title X regulations announced by the Trump administration's Department of Health and Human Services.

Title X is a family planning program authorized in 1970 to provide family planning services to low-income women. Currently, Congress approves $286 million a year to provide these family planning services like: education, counseling, health screenings, and healthcare. For years, pro-life protections like the Hyde amendment sought to ensure tax dollars, including title X funds, would not go to abortion providers.

However, the Clinton-era title X regulations have sadly mandated that all grantees refer abortions as part of their family planning services and created loopholes allowing title X funding to flow to organizations which provide abortions, such as Planned Parenthood.

Under these Clinton-era regulations, Planned Parenthood has been able to receive an average of $56 million in taxes each year from title X. Clearly, that is not in line with the intent of the title X family planning program and it is past time to change.

I was proud to help lead the effort in Congress to urge the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to update title X guidelines with those similar to regulations in place during the Reagan era. These Reagan regulations--which were upheld by the Supreme Court in 1991--were rolled back by the Clinton administration and have remained in place since then.

However, today, thanks to President Trump and his administration, we turn this page and mark a historic victory for life. This week the Trump administration will unveil new regulations called the Protect Life Rule which will prohibit any organization that performs or refers abortions from receiving title X family planning funds.

The Protect Life Rule will mandate that title X grant recipients be physically and financially separate from facilities that provide abortions, closing for good that loophole that has allowed organizations like Planned Parenthood to receive title X funding.

Currently, Planned Parenthood conducts 320,000 abortions every year and receives nearly $60 million in tax dollars annually. Implementing the Protect Life Rule will save thousands of innocent lives and ensure that title X funding supports actual family planning, not abortions.

The Protect Life Rule will also increase safeguards for victims of sexual assault, these victims who have already been abused. Implementing the Protect Life Rule will not cut any funds that go toward family planning to support mothers and families every day. In fact, it will provide more money net for legitimate family planning activities. To suggest otherwise, would be a politically motivated lie to the American people.

Contrary to the doomsday rhetoric used by pro-abortion advocates, this is a great day for life and families across America. I want to thank dozens of pro-life grassroots organizations and more than 150 of my colleagues from the House and Senate who joined this effort to push back for the new title X regulations--especially Representatives Black, Hartzler, and Smith.

I also want to thank President Trump and his administration for issuing the Protect Life Rule, heeding our calls and the calls of millions of Americans who have long demanded that tax dollars not go to abortion providers, just as the law was intended.

President Trump ran as a pro-life candidate, and the Protect Life Rule is just the latest example of how the President and Republicans in Congress believe in keeping our promises to the American people.

The Protect Life Rule is a win for millions of Americans who have marched for life in our Nation's Capital and the millions more who have marched throughout our country, including in my home State of Kansas.

I look forward to the implementation of the Protect Life Rule.

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for his comments and his leadership, especially on this important issue. I deeply appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the distinguished gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), a member of the Agriculture Committee, the Small Business Committee, and a force on the Judiciary Committee.

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