Pro-life supporters who were hoping former President Donald Trump would get behind a 15-week federal abortion limit were disappointed yesterday.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Mich., on April 2, 2024. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Making good on his promise to release a statement on the matter, the 45th president said he felt the legality of abortion should be decided by the states.
“My view is, now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” Trump said in a video message.
Different states will have different laws, he added. But, “At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said she found the former president’s words disheartening.
“Unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national advocacy from the brutality of the abortion industry. The Dobbs decision clearly allows both states and Congress to act,” Dannenfelser said in a statement.
Trump’s two-time running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, also criticized his statement as “a slap in the face” to his pro-life supporters. And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), in a rare break with Trump, said he “respectfully disagrees” that abortion is a states’ rights issue.
“The pro-life movement has always been about the wellbeing of the unborn child—not geography,” Graham wrote in an X post.
Trump pushed back via Truth Social, charging that the senator was “doing a great disservice” to the GOP and America with his stance on abortion.
“Many Good Republicans lost Elections because of this Issue, and people like Lindsey Graham, that are unrelenting, are handing Democrats their dream of the House, Senate, and perhaps even the Presidency,” he wrote.
Still, not all reactions to Trump’s statement were negative. Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins, for example, chose to highlight the silver lining in his remarks.
“Unlike President Biden, President Trump begins his remarks on abortion celebrating ‘the ultimate joy in life’—children and family. That kind of love and support for the bedrock of society, the family, will be a welcome change in the White House,” Hawkins said.
She also said she was glad Trump didn’t back a 15-week limit, which she views as too permissive. But she added that pro-life groups “clearly have some work to do” on showing the former president that abortion is a federal issue.
“Your state lines should never mean the beginning or end of your human rights.”
—Samantha Flom, Zachary Stieber, and Joseph Lord
INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ON THEIR MINDS
After narrowly avoiding a government shutdown last month, members of Congress return to Capitol Hill today with yet another time crunch on their hands.
Authorization for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will expire on April 19, giving members just 10 days to decide whether to renew the law’s controversial spying powers.
The FBI is investigating a recent string of bomb threats against New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts, a top target of Beijing. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Section 702 authorizes the warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals located abroad, though U.S. citizens’ communications are often swept up in the process.
Intelligence officials say the program is vital to protecting national security. But the FBI’s abuse of the program to target U.S. citizens has raised questions for some as to whether the ends justify the means.
The House is expected to vote on a compromise bill this week that combines aspects of various proposals for reform. Among other changes, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act would create new standards for searches of the Section 702 database, impose stricter penalties for illegal queries, and increase Congressional oversight of the tool’s use.
To begin that process, the House Rules Committee today will markup the bill.
While bill does not require a warrant for queries of U.S. citizens, a warrant requirement is one of several proposed amendments to be voted in committee today that could could substantially broaden the scope of the bill’s current reforms.
The warrant requirement has been a sticking point that has united even the unlikeliest of bedfellows in House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and the committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).
“The same people who spied on President Trump’s campaign are now fighting against a warrant requirement in the new FISA bill. Makes you wonder,” Jordan wrote yesterday on X, formerly Twitter.
Nadler, meanwhile, has criticized the bill as “totally inadequate” in its proposed reforms. And the House Freedom Caucus—of which Jordan is a member—has also stated its opposition to the legislation.
The markup will gear the bill up for a final vote on the House floor, where it’s far from guaranteed to pass.
—Samantha Flom and Joseph Lord
BOOKMARKS
The first quarter of 2024 saw a sharp increase in the frequency of Jan. 6-related arrests compared to the previous two years, The Epoch Times’ Joseph Hanneman reports. As of April 5, nearly 1,400 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol breach.
Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Lara Trump says the committee is focused “like a laser” on election integrity, The Epoch Times’ Aldgra Fredly reports. Lara Trump’s comments come as her father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, raked in a record $50.5 million for his presidential bid at a fundraiser on Saturday (April 6).
Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson is pushing back on claims that the number of voters registering to vote in Texas without a photo ID is skyrocketing, The Epoch Times’ Jack Phillips reports. The Republican said social media posts claiming otherwise are citing inaccurate data from the Social Security Administration.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the Sunshine State is no longer purple but a solid red, The Epoch Times’ Aaron Pan reports. The governor’s comments come as the GOP now holds a 900,000-registrant advantage over Democrats in the state.
President Joe Biden is rolling out new plans for canceling or reducing millions of Americans’ student loan debt, The Epoch Times’ Emel Akan reports. The announcement follows the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down his previous debt forgiveness plan last year.
