Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds Passage of First Labor-HHS-Education Bill in Decades to Exclude the Hyde Amendment

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus and member of the House Appropriations Committee, applauded the passage of the first House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education bill in decades to exclude the Hyde Amendment.

Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has included abortion coverage and funding bans in the appropriations bills. This includes restrictions to Medicaid, Medicare, Federal employees, Native Americans, women in federal prisons and detention centers.

'Let's be clear: the Hyde Amendment was designed to restrict abortion access for low-income women and women of color,' said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. 'For nearly four decades, I've been working to end this racist and discriminatory amendment - even as a staffer in Congress when it first became law. Today's vote is a historic step forward in our work to make abortion accessible for everyone - regardless of income or zip code.'

The Hyde Amendment disproportionately impacts abortion access for low-income women and women of color. According to the Guttmacher Institute, The Hyde Amendment leaves 7.8 million women aged 15-49 with Medicaid coverage but without abortion coverage - including half who are women of color.

Congresswoman Lee has also introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act each Congress since 2015 to reverse the Hyde Amendment.