WASHINGTON — In a House Republican majority often driven by the most conservative lawmakers, the pragmatists are demanding to be heard. These lawmakers defected on an immigration vote last week, and this week they forced GOP leaders to water down abortion legislation.
With thousands of abortion foes in the city in an annual March for Life, Republicans muscled broadened abortion restrictions through the House on Thursday after a GOP rebellion forced leaders into an awkward retreat on an earlier version.
A White House veto threat and an uncertain fate in the Senate mean the legislation has no realistic chance of becoming law.
With the new, fully Republican-led Congress three weeks old, the party’s pragmatists are serving notice they will no longer keep quiet as their more ideological colleagues push legislation to the right.
“There’s a growing sense in the conference that we need to get things done here, not just make political statements,” said Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a freshmen lawmaker from Florida. “We should be focused on the agenda of the American people.”
Most of these lawmakers are self-described conservatives but with a practical approach. Some, like Curbelo, were elected in districts that President Barack Obama previously won as Republicans posted dramatic midterm gains in November.
The new lawmakers say the stakes are high. With the Senate now under GOP control, House-passed legislation actually has a shot at making it to Obama’s desk.
“Much of the legislation we passed in the past we knew wasn’t going to go anywhere in the Senate,” said Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-N.C., who led the revolt over the abortion bill. “… Now everything we do has got to be so careful, we have to be so careful about the legislation we put forward, because now we have that opportunity for it to pass in the Senate.”
The House in 2013 passed an abortion bill nearly identical to the one that leadership was forced to scuttle this time around, which would have banned nearly all abortions after 20 weeks. Instead, the bill that passed Thursday would ban all federal funding for abortion, something that’s already mostly in place anyway.
The vote came on the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, as abortion foes held a march in Washington. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio praised the March for Life demonstrators in a written statement that also seemed to acknowledge discord among Republicans.
“This march is part of a longer one, and our destination is clear: to secure and protect the rights of every unborn child. When there is disagreement, we should pause and listen closely. When there is movement, we should rejoice, and the House’s vote to ban taxpayer funding of abortion is cause for doing so,” he said.
Even so, the sidetracking of the late-term abortion measure sparked grumbling from politically potent allies. National Right to Life President Carol Tobias criticized GOP dissenters on the late-term bill.
About the bill
The House voted 242-179 on Thursday to permanently bar federal funds for any abortion coverage. Key points of the bill:
How Colorado’s delegation voted
Yes: Republicans Ken Buck, Mike Coffman, Doug Lamborn, Scott Tipton
No: Democrats Diana DeGette, Jared Polis
Didn’t vote: Democrat Ed Perlmutter
