Congress has alloted $350 billion to small businesses for coronavirus relief and most Americans will receive a check for $1,200.
In addition, Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have been pressing for $1 trillion in handouts to state and local governments.
That sets up a conflict with Republicans, who say the federal government isn’t responsible for the liabilities of Democratic-led states.
President Trump agrees.
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“I think Congress is inclined to do a lot of things, but I don’t think they’re inclined to do bailouts. A bailout is different than, you know, reimbursing for the plague,” he said.
But there’s another big reason for concern about doling out dollars to states.
Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice said many states automatically pay for abortions, and sending federal money to subsidize their budgets would do exactly that.
The Daily Signal noted the Trump administration has made a point of prevent federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood.
His administration has ensured that no funds from the new Paycheck Protection Program go to the abortion giant.
“President Trump is committed to ensuring Paycheck Protection Program money is used for saving jobs at small businesses, not getting the government into the business of funding abortion,” a senior administration official told the Daily Signal.
“While not all Americans share President Trump’s pro-life beliefs, there is broad bipartisan support for the idea that American taxpayers should not have to fund abortion,” the official said.
Sekulow said states obviously want help because “they don’t want to cut their own budgets.”
However, he pointed out, it’s “not just essential services like hospital funding, emergency services, state employee pay, school funding, and the like that are included in state and local budgets.”
“Many of the states that are pressuring for a federal bailout use part of their budgets to fund abortions,” Sekulow said.
He explained that 16 states have a policy to pay for elective abortions under Medicaid, which is a program funded by both federal and state dollars.
The states have chosen to use state Medicaid dollars to pay for elective abortion. They are: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
Also, at least nine states – Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Vermont, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, California and New York – have specific carveouts in their budgets to provide millions of dollars of funding for Planned Parenthood.
“Ask yourself this? Why should the federal government bail out the states and localities if they won’t cut wasteful spending, never mind making cuts to life-killing budget items that fund abortion?” wrote Sekulow.
“At a time where they should also be fighting for life during the COVID-19 crisis, the Radical Left that leads certain states and localities is fighting to keep abortion clinics operating and keep abortions funded by struggling taxpayers.”
