The Washington Post published a piece this weekend on the ways in which moderate Republicans in the House are getting sick of the far-right Freedom Caucus’ ongoing revolt as its members flex their power over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), pushing increasingly extreme and sometimes bizarre messaging bills that will harm those in swing districts in 2024. There’s an interesting nugget of reporting tucked into the piece that touches on the trend we’ve seen since Roe was overturned: Republicans are seeing the writing on the wall with abortion and it’s not looking pretty.
Republicans from swing districts are reportedly asking party leadership to be selective about which messaging bills they bring to the House floor so that vulnerable members aren’t punished back home for following the party line in D.C. For example, New York Republicans who flipped their districts from Democratic to Republican in the midterms recently convinced party leadership to do away with amendments that could be considered “anti-union” as they court white working class voters back home.
Swing district Republicans have similar concerns with abortion messaging bills, according to the Post. As I wrote last month, some House Republicans in recent weeks have been watching with unease as 2024 candidates fumble on abortion and have privately expressed concerns about voting on any new anti-abortion legislation that could upset voters back home. That includes the Hyde Amendment, Congress’ perennial football that seeks to place limits on taxpayer funds for abortion care.
During a meeting with GOP leadership, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) last month, a handful of House Republicans were reportedly dismayed that leadership wanted to put forward a bill that would codify the Hyde Amendment into law. After objections, that plan was scrapped, but that was reportedly not the end of swing-district Republicans’ objections to pushing more votes on abortion. Per the Post:
A group of swing-district Republicans has vowed theywill continue to defeat abortion-related amendments that come to the House floor, a person familiar with the discussion said.
But the ongoing appropriations process will be more complicated for thoseRepublicans, as their more conservative counterparts are expected to tuck several strict antiabortion measures into must-pass spending bills. Those additions will not only create conflict within the House GOP but also with the Democratic-controlled Senate. A House subcommittee overseeing the Food and Drug Administration has already approved language limiting access to mifepristone, a prescription abortion pill — a limitation not all Republican lawmakers support.
It’s a trend that will likely continue into 2024 as Republicans struggle to find their footing on abortion after voters punish those who have pushed anti-abortion policies in election after election since the Dobbs ruling.
The Best Of TPM Today
Here’s what you should read this evening:
In case you missed it this morning: The Republican Party Can’t Figure Out What To Say About Medicare, Social Security
Ex-Comms Director Says She Saw Trump Show Classified Docs To Mar-a-Lago Visitors
A must-read from Josh Kovensky: Pizzagate II: DeSantis Discovers The World Of NYC Pies
Biden Announces He’ll Try Different Route To Student Debt Relief After Supreme Court Decision
Newly Unearthed Emails Show Trump Attorneys Coordinating Fake Electors
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
A Good Read — Josh Marshall
What We Are Reading
Nikki Haley Says She ‘Absolutely’ Would Sign 15-Week Abortion Ban If GOP Had The Votes — HuffPost
The ‘Shrinking Baptist Convention’ Is Doubling Down on the Culture Wars — Politico
Laura Ingraham’s show has often flown under the radar. But she has been central to Fox News’ controversies. — Media Matters
