Trump's surprise IVF plan sparks division in GOP
Republican lawmakers appear to be seriously divided about the new policy proposal from Donald Trump to force insurance companies to fully fund fertility treatments or have the government pay for it.
Polls show Trump and the Republican Party have been losing the support of female voters as reproductive freedom is restricted or eliminated entirely in some states.
To counter this last week, Trump revealed to an NBC News reporter backstage at a rally that he now wants to have the government fund in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Republicans have traditionally opposed all government-funded healthcare, and for years vowed to repeal the landmark 2010 Affordable Care Act, a.k.a., Obamacare.
That, paired with his claim he wouldn't support Florida's six-week abortion ban, might be why many Republican lawmakers aren't rushing to embrace Trump's new policy, the Independent reports.
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"Both statements triggered furious responses from within his own party. Anti-abortion groups and supporters of Florida’s conservative governor Ron DeSantis ripped Trump for his supposed betrayal in statements to the press and on social media," the report explained.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) told "Meet the Press" that he might support Trump's plan and assumed "most Republicans" would too.
“It’s something I’m open to, that most Republicans would be open to,” he said. His caveat would be the “fiscal impact,” and he wanted to consider “whether the taxpayer can afford to pay for this, what impact it would have on premiums.”
But Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) flatly dismissed the idea when appearing on ABC News' "This Week."
"I wouldn't [support it] because there's no end to that. I think a tax credit for children makes sense, means-tested," he said. "We’ve been accused of being against IVF treatments. We’re not."
However, when Democrats proposed a bill that would legalize IVF nationally, Republicans blocked it.