By Patti Johnson
January 9, 2026
In a stunning turn of events, President Donald Trump has urged Republican lawmakers to “be a little flexible” on the Hyde Amendment which has been the bedrock protection that has shielded American taxpayers from funding the slaughter of innocent unborn children for nearly half a century. Speaking at a House Republican retreat on January 6, 2026, at the Kennedy Center, Trump casually suggested compromising this non-negotiable principle to push through healthcare legislation amid negotiations over ACA subsidies and rising premiums. [1] [2] ACA subsidies are federal financial assistance programs designed to reduce the cost of health insurance for eligible individuals and families who purchase plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The two sides are currently at an impasse, though some bipartisan Senate negotiations are exploring a compromise:
Republican Red Line: Many GOP lawmakers insist that any extension must include a ban on abortion coverage in exchange plans, the Hyde Amendment
Democratic Red Line: Democrats have stated that adding abortion-related restrictions to health subsidies is a “nonstarter”.
The Hyde Amendment, enacted in 1976, has saved an estimated 2.5 million lives by prohibiting federal funds from directly paying for elective abortions, with narrow exceptions for rape, incest, or life-threatening cases. It has been a bipartisan staple in spending bills for decades, a rare line in the sand that even many moderates respected. Trump himself repeatedly championed it during his campaigns, pledging to make it permanent law. Yet now, faced with Democratic obstructionism on healthcare funding, he tells his party to bend and open the door for taxpayers to bankroll the abortion industry.
Pro-life leaders, the very allies who propelled Trump back into office despite his past wavering, have rightly erupted in outrage. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, blasted the suggestion as “an abandonment of this decades-long commitment,” warning that ditching Hyde would doom Republicans politically.[3] John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life John Mize, warned, “As we approach the 50th Anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, we cannot abandon the most popular pro-life provision of all time.” With the most recent polling showing nearly 6 in 10 Americans supporting Hyde, to compromise on the issue now would not be the win President Trump predicts it will be.
Lila Rose of Live Action declared there must be “no exceptions, no inch given,” insisting that sacrificing Hyde means sacrificing innocent children. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council flatly rejected any compromise, stating, “We will not compromise on Hyde.”
Even harsher words came from voices like Randall Terry, who compared Trump’s plea to asking slaves to negotiate with their masters—an absurd and morally bankrupt proposition. Alexandra DeSanctis at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) rightly pointed out that this is just the latest evidence of Trump selling out the pro-life movement after already softening his stance during the 2024 campaign. These aren’t fringe radicals; these are the grassroots warriors who knocked doors, rallied voters, and defended Trump through every controversy.
When House Speaker Johnson was asked about Trump’s suggestion yesterday that Republicans be “flexible” on Hyde language in a health care deal he replied, “We are not gonna change the standard that we’re not gonna use taxpayer funding for abortion. I’m just not gonna allow that to happen,”
President Trump’s “flexibility” isn’t pragmatism it’s capitulation that would force conscientious taxpayers to subsidize Planned Parenthood’s bloody empire and its allies. All for what? To avert a manufactured crisis over healthcare premiums that Democrats engineered in the first place. This is the same man who promised to drain the swamp, yet here he is, swimming in it, trading unborn lives for a fleeting legislative win.
The Republican Party must reject this betrayal outright. Hold the line on Hyde, or risk alienating the pro-life base that handed you power. Mr. President, your legacy as a defender of life is crumbling and history will judge you harshly for it. The blood of the innocent demands better than “a little flexibility.”
© 2025 Patti Johnson – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Patti Johnson: pj4charis@gmail.com
Footnotes:
[1] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-urges-gop-flexible-hyde-amendment-igniting-backlash-from-pro-life-allies
[2] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-life-leaders-slam-trump-for-urging-gop-lawmakers-to-be-flexible-on-hyde-amendment/?utm_source=daily-usa-2026-01-08&utm_medium=email
[3] https://sbaprolife.org/newsroom/press-releases/leading-pro-life-group-to-trump-gop-hyde-is-non-negotiable
