WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to grasp a Senate vote subsequent month on a invoice to determine federal protections for prison contraceptives, a supply accustomed to his plan instructed NBC News.
The vote is designed to force Republicans to take an aspect in a tradition warfare over reproductive rights this is enjoying out around the nation forward of the election and has divided their birthday celebration.
“Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women’s reproductive freedoms, standing as nothing short of a vital lifeline for millions of American women across the country,” Schumer stated Wednesday on the Senate ground.
Schumer introduced plans to grasp the vote only a day after former President Donald Trump prompt in an interview that he used to be open to new restrictions on beginning regulate. “We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly,” Trump said when asked by KDKA-TV of Pittsburgh whether he supports restrictions on contraception.”And I think it’s something you’ll find interesting. I think it’s a smart decision. We’ll be releasing it very soon.”
(Trump later walked the ones feedback again on his social media platform.)
The invoice, referred to as the Right to Contraception Act, would give protection to an individual’s skill to get entry to contraceptives and give protection to a physician’s skill to supply contraceptives and information similar to contraception. The vote will be a part of a bigger push to put Republicans on the file of reproductive rights forward of the second one anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
A date hasn’t been set for the vote, however Schumer started the method Tuesday to put the invoice on the calendar, making it to be had to convey up later. The Senate will vote on a separate border safety invoice on Thursday forward of a weeklong recess pegged to Memorial Day, sooner than returning in June.
Both votes are designed to put GOP senators on file on tricky problems over the summer season of this key election yr, as Democrats check out to grasp on to a narrow majority, lately 51-to-49 votes, and as Trump has vacillated on reproductive rights.
The Senate will vote this week on the bipartisan border invoice offered in February, a vote this is anticipated to fail with bipartisan opposition and is in large part noticed as an effort to reply to Republican grievance of the placement on the southern border.
“Republicans are going to vote against the right of American families to decide how many children they want. Goodness gracious, if that’s going to be a contested issue in this campaign, I’ll stick with American families. I know where they stand,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., stated Wednesday.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., stated the vote presentations Schumer is concerned politically concerning the 2024 election.
“I suspect there will be some members to support it. But this is just another one, like this week we’ve got what I think is a gimmick on the border bill. He’s going to do these sort of political messaging bills because he knows he’s underwater in a couple of states,” Tillis stated. “And he’s trying to create a political foothold for some of his incumbents.”
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the minority whip who’s working to develop into the GOP chief subsequent yr, stated the vote on a contraceptives invoice “doesn’t seem necessary to me.”
“I think Republicans do support that, yeah. I’m not sure why you need to put a bill on the floor,” Thune stated.
Asked about Trump pronouncing he would have a look at doubtlessly restrictive insurance policies on contraceptives, Thune stated:” It appears like he clarified what he intended by way of that. But that’s clearly no longer a place that’s held by way of by way of me or, I’d argue, maximum Republicans.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., sidestepped when requested about Schumer’s plans.
“We’ll see what the Democrats are going to do,” she stated. “Nobody knows what they’re going to bring up.”
Julie Tsirkin contributed.
