The Trump administration is debating whether to cut off abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from Title X family-planning funding, a move that would potentially force the organization to choose between losing the funding or ending abortion referrals.
What’s new: Two sources have told us that Kellyanne Conway went to see President Trump on Friday to try to ensure he follows through on his campaign promises to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood — with the money redirected to Women’s Qualified Health Centers — so long as the organization continues performing abortions.
One of the sources told me Conway walked Trump through maps showing how many healthcare alternatives are available to women besides Planned Parenthood. Her briefing materials also included the “prayer and protest” rallies that ran over the weekend at more than 140 Planned Parenthood locations throughout the country, where activists called on Trump to stop taxpayer funding of abortion businesses.
Conway also highlighted that Planned Parenthood spends millions on Democrats in political races, including tens of millions on Trump’s 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton.
Conway showed Trump the map below — one of the starkest examples of the trend she was highlighting:
A conservative leader involved in the policy fight told Axios it would be “political suicide” for Trump to abandon the policy. “I just don’t understand why they would betray a core campaign promise during a midterm election year where there are a lot of key House and Senate races where this is a winning issue in light of the polling,” the source added.
Meanwhile, White House Political Director Bill Stepien compiled a list for Trump — showing that of the top 50+ competitive House races, every single sitting Republican is pro-life.
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In