Psaki dodges question on federal funding for abortions

White House press secretary Jen Psaki spoke during a press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

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UPDATED 2:06 PM PT – Tuesday, February 16, 2021

The White House is refusing to be transparent about Democrat efforts to include abortion funding in a COVID relief bill. As negotiations continue, the Biden administration and top Democrat lawmakers have signaled a willingness to force a bill without GOP support.

Included in the legislation is $750 million for global health activities and billions more for community health centers. Democrats are not applying the Hyde Amendment to this funding, which would prevent federal dollars from paying for abortions.

When pressed on the issue, Press Secretary Jen Psaki dodged the topic.

Today, @PressSec repeatedly refused to directly respond to @owentjensen ‘s question: “Can this administration right now guarantee, if the American Rescue Plan is passed, that no taxpayer dollars will go to the abortion industry?”

— CaitlinSinclairTV (@CSinclairtv) February 16, 2021

“Can you guarantee Americans who don’t want their tax dollars funding abortion, can the administration guarantee those tax dollars won’t fund abortion?” a reporter asked.

Psaki responded by saying, “three-quarters of the public supports the components of the package, wants to see the pandemic get under control, wants to see people put back to work, vaccines in arms, so I think that answers your question.”

This came just weeks after the Biden administration reversed a Trump-era ban on federal funds going to international aid groups that perform abortions and offer referrals.

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