Senator Patty Murray (00:00):
Well, thank you all for being here. We are here today because Republicans are focused on just about everything except how to lower costs and make regular people's lives better. This week, they're not rolling out a healthcare plan or telling us how they're going to lower the cost of groceries. Instead, Republicans are pushing more unpopular anti-abortion extremism. And Republicans are still peddling debunked lies about how abortion works, and the people who get them, and trying to pass through the US Congress a disgraceful sham of a bill that totally misrepresents the hard and painful choices that women face when a pregnancy is medically complicated. Let's talk about the bill that the Republicans are bringing to the floor today because it is really important for people to understand what it is. Senator Lankford's bill, which has 44 co-sponsors, would create a new government mandate that would override the best judgment of grieving families who find out their fetus has a fatal condition, and it would create new medically unnecessary barriers for doctors and patients at a time when doctors already have their hands tied when it comes to basic reproductive healthcare.
(01:20)
And let's be clear, it is already illegal to kill a baby. We know that. To suggest otherwise is a deliberate and callous smear against providers and patients who find themselves in heartbreaking traumatic situations. It is heinous and absurd suggestion. Now, Americans are rightly worried about what will happen to their reproductive rights under total Republican control of government. And that's because they are painfully aware of what is happening already every day because of Republican bans. Women are being denied the care they need. They're being told they have to get sicker first and told they have to go to a different state. They're told they have to stay pregnant, even if they don't want to, or even if it kills them. That is the state of women's health in states across America today. And it is profoundly alarming that now Republicans are doubling down here to make things even worse.
(02:22)
During the first week of Trump's presidency, this is what Republicans are focused on, attacking women, criminalizing abortion, criminalizing doctors, and lying about abortion. Republicans obviously don't care about the cost of groceries. They aren't working to make life more affordable for families before or after a baby is born. Think about that. Republicans have put Medicaid and SNAP on the chopping block. House Republicans fought back when we tried to fully fund WIC so moms and babies would not go hungry. And Republicans are flat out opposed to making paid leave a reality so that a mom can spend time with their baby after giving birth. So today we are here on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to say we are going to do everything we can to continue to push back against Republicans' anti-abortion, anti-women extremism. I cannot predict what Republicans will launch next, but I can promise you that Democrats will stand our ground. We will lift up your voices and fight for your rights every single day. Republicans may be in charge, but we're not going anywhere. With that, let me turn it over to our leader, Senator Schumer.
Senator Chuck Schumer (03:34):
Who is also not going anywhere.
Senator Patty Murray (03:35):
Not going anywhere.
Senator Chuck Schumer (03:36):
Except right here to the podium. But first, I want to thank Senator Murray. She has been just such an amazing leader on the issue of choice, on the issue of women's rights, on the issue of women's healthcare. She's amazing. She's a blessing, not only to the Senate, but to the country. So thank you. And I thank my other colleagues, Senators Smith and Shaheen, who also have been fighting this fight for so long. Whenever there's a fight, they're all here on these issues. So we're two days into Donald Trump's presidency, and they're already breaking their promises. Remember that one? We're going to leave it up to the states. That's out the window. We believe in what doctors and women say. That's out the window. And this a metaphor. This is the first of many extreme issues they will bring up that are anti-women. And in every case, they'll have the same, same dishonesty.
(04:31)
Leave it to the states. Out the window. Between a woman, a doctor, and her families. Gone. That's what they're doing. And the only good news here is they're showing their true colors only two days after the President was sworn in. They couldn't wait to keep their falsehoods last a little longer. So they're not taking any action to help working families, to lower the cost of prescription drugs, to lower the cost of groceries. Instead, they're focusing on attacking and ripping away women's healthcare. As you may recall, Trump said he doesn't want to get involved at the national level. This, Mr. President Trump, this is the national level. You're already involved and you're breaking your promises. Here we are voting on bills that attack women's healthcare using false narratives and fear-mongering. The situation targeted by this bill is heartbreaking. It's heart-wrenching.
(05:33)
And to use women and their families in this situation for crass political purposes to appeal to a hard-right extreme group that's not close to where America is at is disgraceful. Just disgraceful. It substitutes the judgment of qualified medical professionals and the wishes of millions of families with an ultra-right ideology that I dare say when you look at the polling data, not even a majority of Republican support, let alone the rest of the country. Women are meant to be supported and trusted. This is when male politicians should step up and support women, not use them as political footballs, as this bill so heartlessly does. And I'm here today not just as leader Schumer, but as husband, dad, and grandpa Chuck to my wife, my daughters, my granddaughter. So this is not esoteric. This affects me and my family as well, as it does tens of millions of American families. So much of the hard-right's anti-choice agenda is pushed by people who have little or no understanding of women's healthcare, let alone how to best handle those decisions.
(06:49)
And so here we are, week one into this administration. And instead of focusing on costs, of lowering costs for your families, Donald Trump and Republicans are focused on regulating you or your mom's, your wife's, your daughter's bodies. It's not only unproductive. It's gross. It's just gross. So yes, President Trump and Republicans told you they wouldn't touch abortion. It was an issue left up to the states. That was a lie. Gone after two days that Trump is President. Americans should take this as a warning. Watch what they do, not what they say or have said. And here's a message to my Republican colleagues, plain and simple. Instead of attacking reproductive care, today would be a great day for Senate Republicans to lower the cost of groceries. Would be a great day for Senate Republicans to do something to make our drugs more affordable. Would be a great day to help Americans buy a home. If nothing else, it would be a great day for Senate Republicans to simply trust women and leave their healthcare choices up to them. Senator Shaheen.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (08:02):
Well, thank you, Senator Schumer. Thank you to Senator Murray and Senator Smith for your leadership. Thank you all for joining us this afternoon. No, this is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision in the Supreme Court. I remember when that decision came out. And I remember what it was like before that decision for women who were facing unexpected and unplanned for pregnancies. This used to be a day to celebrate that decision, the hard-won victory of generations of women who finally had the right to determine our own futures for our bodies. But since the Dobbs decision in 2022, this day now shows how far we've gone in the wrong direction.
(08:53)
And we're here because we share the concerns about what's happened in this country since Roe was overturned, the fears that have become reality for millions of women. And I hear from people in New Hampshire. We hear from women across the country. And it's especially frustrating that our Republican colleagues, not all of them, we have some who believe that women should make their own decisions, but for those who have sponsored the Lankford bill that Senator Murray referred to, it's particularly frustrating that this is being done on the first week that this new administration has taken office. Because once again, we're seeing, as my colleagues have said, that they're taking aim at women's reproductive healthcare instead of focusing on what the American people want, which is to find ways for us to work together to lower costs, to make healthcare more accessible, to address the reproductive health of women.
(09:59)
What this legislation would do is to put women's lives in danger. And while all Americans struggle to make ends meet, struggle to afford the basic healthcare that they and their families need, this is what we're being given by the new administration. I can tell you all, there is no one who was elected to come to the United States Congress, to the United States Senate because we wanted to make it harder for people to access basic healthcare. No voters in this country said, "Go to Washington. Make it hard for people to get healthcare. Make it hard for them to afford it. Make it harder for women to access the healthcare that they need." No elected official here in Washington or in any state capitol, in any court in this country, should be in charge of making the most personal and difficult decisions that women and their families and their doctors should be making. No.
(11:09)
We should be here voting on legislation to make healthcare more affordable, to make women's access to care better when women are dying across this country because of the Dobbs decision. And yet, here we are talking about making it harder for families in the most difficult times. I hope that our Republican colleagues are going to come to the table and work with us to drop this extreme agenda and to work on what the American people want, which is more affordable access to healthcare, the ability for women to make our own decisions about our bodies and our futures, for us to have opportunities in this country. That's what it would mean for the real golden age of America. Senator Smith.
Senator Tina Smith (12:06):
Well, good afternoon, everyone. And thank you, Senator Shaheen and Senator Murray. I'm glad to be with you all today on this anniversary of the Roe decision. So long before I came to the United States Senate, I worked at Planned Parenthood. And every single day, I watched people walk through the doors of our clinic fully capable of being able to make the best decisions for themselves and their families about their healthcare, including abortion. And the last thing they needed was for some politician to get in there, try to make those decisions for them. And that was the power of Roe. It recognized that the Constitution of the United States protects the freedom and the dignity and autonomy of people to make personal and private decisions about their bodies and their lives and their families, free from government interference. But that all changed with the Trump court in 2022.
(13:01)
The Dobbs decision said, "Nope, this decision is no longer yours, but state legislatures and local politicians, they are going to be the deciders now. They control your decisions. And the Constitution does not protect your rights." And so we can see there is a direct through line between that Dobbs decision and where we are today. So here we are, two days into the new Trump administration with Republicans in charge. And are they offering bills to lower the cost for Americans? Are they offering a bill to lower the cost of healthcare or lower the cost of housing? No, they are not. And after campaigning all of last year telling Americans not to worry about a national abortion ban and more infringements on their freedoms, this is where we are today. One of the very first laws that they are trying to pass would be a federal law that would mandate what doctors must do in their practice in the event of these very rare but tragic and complicated health crises that happens in some women's pregnancies. And nobody wants this.
(14:06)
That's the thing. So let's be clear. This law that we're going to be voting on in just a few minutes, this proposed law, plays on misinformation and misunderstanding. But like all anti-abortion bills, it is designed to take away the rights of patients and doctors to make the very best decision that they have in the very unique situations that confronts every single patient. So my message to women in Minnesota and across this nation is that we are not going to do this. Senate Democrats respect you. We respect your decision-making power and we trust you and your doctor to make the very best decisions that you can about your healthcare, including about abortion. And we're telling Republicans to butt out. We understand that you are trying to figure out how to afford your life. And we are on your side. So if you are part of the 50% of moms delivering babies in this country who get your health insurance through Medicaid, we're fighting for you. And we are going to fight against Republican efforts to cut your insurance benefits so that they can pay for tax cuts for rich people and big corporations.
(15:16)
And if you are one of the millions of working moms who put food on the table for your family with the help of SNAP and WIC, we are on your side. And we're going to fight Republicans who are trying to cut SNAP, which, by the way, is only about $6 a day. We're not going to let them cut that so that they can do more tax cuts for their rich buddies and big corporations. Now, we have a lot of work ahead of us. And we are going to work with anyone who wants to work with us to protect your freedom and your autonomy, but we are going to fight anybody who wants to take that away. And that is why we are here today. Thank you.
Senator Patty Murray (15:54):
Thank you very much. We're happy to take a few questions. Yes.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Thank you, Senator Murray. So much of the work that you all did last Congress, introducing pieces of legislation that didn't go far, but that would've restored some of these protections. In addition to that work, a lot of the federal response was done through the White House Gender Policy Council. It's uncertain if the Trump administration will continue that particular council. Do you think that that should have a role in the Trump administration? Do you think that there should be a focus on these issues within the Trump administration, given these attacks coming from your Senate Republican colleagues?
Senator Patty Murray (16:31):
Well, I would hope so, but I don't have a lot of hope that that will occur. Yes.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
Thank you, ma'am. The way Senate Republicans are framing this bill is they are saying that this would protect babies who are born after a botched or messed up abortion and are alive. Do you disagree with that [inaudible 00:16:53]?
Senator Patty Murray (16:53):
That is entirely misinformation. Let me make it very clear. If a baby is born alive and a doctor kills it, that is today illegal and they would be taken to court and appropriately punished. What this bill actually does, which they're not describing to you, what it actually does is mean if a woman has a fetus with a fatal anomaly and it is born, that that baby will be stripped away from her and the doctor is told by law they have to go do all this medical interventions, when actually what those parents really want to do is spend a last few minutes with their dying child. That's what this bill does.
Speaker 7 (17:36):
Did leadership officially whip its members against this? And if there are Democrats that end up peeling off in support of this, like that happened on Laken Riley Act, what do you think that says or means?
Senator Patty Murray (17:49):
I will let you watch the vote today in about an hour.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
And was there a whip effort?
Senator Patty Murray (17:54):
I don't believe there was a whip effort. I think we know that as Democrats, we're going to stand by women and their ability to make their own healthcare choices.
Speaker 8 (18:02):
Republicans are pretty certain to try and target Democrats to vote against this bill, particularly those who are up in 2026. Is there a way you're hoping to see Democrats or campaigners get ahead of that messaging? And [inaudible 00:18:13]-
Senator Patty Murray (18:13):
Are you talking about Republicans?
Speaker 8 (18:15):
Oh, sorry. Yeah. Republicans will try and target Democrats who vote against this [inaudible 00:18:19].
Senator Patty Murray (18:19):
This last election was very clear across the country where Republicans' message was, "This is a state issue." And in state after state, they brought up protections for women in their states and they won. But here we are in the very first days of this Congress with the President barely sworn in, and the very first attack they have is on women and their ability to make their own healthcare decision. I would say to every Republican, you just went back on your word. And we are going to be on the attack on this.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (18:49):
Patty, let me … I want to respond to that because Senator Smith and I are both up next year. And I have run now in seven statewide races in New Hampshire. And every single one of those races, I have been attacked by Republicans for my support for allowing women to make their own decisions. As governor, I got rid of a criminal statute that would've made abortion a felony and criminalized doctors, and I had bipartisan support to do that. The majority of people in this country don't believe government should tell women and their families what to do about pregnancy. They understand, like all of us here, that that's a decision that women and their families and their doctors and other … Their pastors, or whoever they go to, their clergy, should make for themselves. It's not a decision that I should make as a Senator, that the court should make, that the men who are in the Senate should make. It's a decision for women and their families. And for those people who don't understand that, they are on the wrong side of morality on this one.
Senator Patty Murray (20:09):
One more. Yes.
Speaker 9 (20:10):
When we talk about the issue of abortion, and obviously Democrats have been pushing to codify the protections that were in Roe for the Supreme Court case, obviously the votes are not there to make that happen, but why does it have to be the protections from Roe? Why can't there be something that has maybe baby steps in there or smaller protections that would have the votes potentially in the Senate?
Senator Patty Murray (20:31):
Well, okay, I'm not going to negotiate with anybody right here right now, but I did see across the country that in state after state, what Republicans said is these decisions about choice are going to be made in the state. And what we are seeing right now here in the Senate is that it's not true. They're bringing it right here to the Senate and they're attacking our rights. We are in the minority here in the Senate, but we're going to fight back with everything we have. I'm happy to talk with anybody about how to put protections in the law, but that's not the conversation we're having now. Thank you.
Speaker 9 (21:03):
Thank you. Thank you.