House Republicans failed late Thursday night to pass legislation to fund agriculture, rural development and the Food and Drug Administration after more than two dozen moderate Republicans opposed a provision that would restrict access to an abortion pill .
The chamber rejected the measure by a vote of 191 to 237, with 27 Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition.
The failed vote represents a setback for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has been working to approve the fiscal year 2024 budget bills before the government’s Sept. 30 funding deadline.
Passing the farm bill — or the other 11 appropriations bills — wouldn’t help Congress fund the government and prevent a shutdown by Saturday’s midnight deadline, but House Republican leaders hope consideration of single-issue funding measures will help will try to convince hardline conservatives to support a stopgap bill to keep the lights on in Washington past the weekend deadline.
However, the failed vote on Thursday evening did not come as a complete surprise.
The funding bill found itself on thin ice Wednesday when a handful of moderate Republicans said they would not support the bill because it contained a provision that would restrict access to mifepristone, an abortion pill. The legislation calls for repealing a Biden administration rule that allows mifepristone to be sold in retail pharmacies and by mail with prescriptions from a certified health care provider.
Reps. Nancy Mace (RS.C.) and Marc Molinaro (RN.Y.) said Wednesday that they could not support the bill as written because of the mifepristone provision. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) told The Hill that he would vote against the legislation in part because of its wording on the abortion pill.
And Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told reporters Wednesday that his “position” on the legislation “has not changed.” In July, he said, “Some states allow mailing, some don’t,” but the decision should be left to states and the FDA.
A group of Democrats filed an amendment to remove the mifepristone provision from the law, but it was not brought up for a vote.
The farm funding bill includes a series of spending cuts that Democrats say would hurt recipients of programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
“Approximately 4.6 million women and children would also receive deeply discounted food and vegetable vouchers,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, said this week.
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