Young at Heart of Hyde Debate

March 24, 2021

Only in the modern Democratic Party could protecting African-American children be considered racist. And yet, that's the messaging du jour for the Left, who's decided to play the race card on any issue that's remotely unpopular -- like overturning the ban on taxpayer-funded abortion. Of course, the Hyde amendment wasn't racist when Barack Obama supported it. It's only now, when the nation's been beaten into submission from months of George Floyd riots, that liberals could dare to make the argument -- and demand that the president's nominees do the same.

If Joe Biden really cared about ending racism, he would stand by the Hyde amendment. Instead, he threw away 40 years of support for the policy, claiming the policy somehow discriminates against poor, minority women. That's absurd, FRC's Dean Nelson wrote last year when the Left first started floating these talking points. The Hyde amendment is one of the last legal barriers still standing to the abortion industry's systematic targeting of Black babies.

"For Black Americans," Dean points out, "abortion is the leading cause of death, above even killers like heart disease and cancer... In New York City, for example, thousands more Black babies are aborted than are born alive." Almost 19 million African-American babies have lost their lives because of Roe v. Wade, and now the president and his team want to incentivize more killing by telling these mothers the government will pay for it!

Even more incredibly, the administration's prominent African-American leaders, like Shalanda Young, have loudly called for an end to the Hyde amendment -- which is more than a little problematic, since she stands to oversee the nation's budget at OMB. In her Senate testimony, the now-confirmed deputy chief, didn't hide her radical stance, writing, "The president has spoken in favor of Congress ending the Hyde amendment, as part of his commitment to providing comprehensive health care for all women. Further, eliminating the Hyde Amendment is a matter of economic and racial justice because it most significantly impacts Medicaid recipients, who are low-income."

Anyone who's followed politics closely will understand what a dramatic departure this is from the norm. Typically, nominees on either side keep their social agendas close to the vest to avoid any controversies or barriers to their confirmation. We've seen less of that this year than any other, as picks from Young to Xavier Becerra seem quite content airing their unpopular views. And they are unpopular, polls (and even liberal outlets) point out. Very few Americans, including Democrats, are on board with the Left's rush to embrace taxpayer-funded abortion. When it comes to exporting abortion funding, opposition is even broader -- including 64 percent of self-described "pro-choicers."

And yet this brazenness is part of the Left's apparent strategy, as more and more of the party's federal leaders try to establish taxpayer-funded abortion as the next civil rights movement. Fortunately, several GOP members have drawn bright red lines in the debate, publicly objecting to Young's confirmation -- and her possible promotion to acting OMB chief. Congressman Bob Good (R-Va.) wrote to Joe Biden himself, expressing his "deep concerns" over Young's comments on the Hyde amendment. "...[T]he Hyde amendment has long enjoyed broad bipartisan support," he reminded the president who spent 40 years endorsing it. To call it racist, Good argued, is ridiculous. "Support for the Hyde amendment's original passage in 1976 included the first African-American woman elected to the House of Representatives, Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-N.Y.), [who] voted in favor of the Hyde amendment along with 16 of her African-American colleagues."

"We cannot in good conscience stay silent while radical anti-life nominees like Ms. Young progress in the confirmation process, and we are deeply concerned by the indifference to this matter shown by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle," Good insisted. "Life should never be sacrificed to bring about one party's political goals. When Democrats push their goals, innocent lives are sacrificed on the altar of their agenda."

Unfortunately, the next day, Young was confirmed 63-37. Now, rumors are flying that Biden's real goal was giving her the top job, now that Twitter bully Neera Tanden has withdrawn. Young's push to the top spot, where the bucks would literally stop, "needs to happen," Rep. Barbara Lee (R-Calif.) insists. That would spell disaster for pro-life policy, since, as the New York Times points out, she would be writing Biden's first budget. And, as he promised during the campaign, it will almost certainly include a healthy raise for groups like Planned Parenthood.

Young is right that public servants should consider the needs of vulnerable populations -- but there's no more vulnerable population than children in womb. It's a sad day in America when the leaders of a mainstream political party don't realize that -- sadder still that they'll use unwilling partners to pay for it.