A pair of Republican Senators say they broadly support Donald Trump‘s calls for insurance to cover fertility treatments, though they are not sold on the financial side of things.
Trump said on Thursday that the federal government would cover in vitro fertilization treatments if he’s elected. While Democrats have accused Republicans of opposing IVF, Trump’s proposal would be extremely expensive, leading to tricky questions for GOP leaders.
After saying he supports access to IVF, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) added he’d “have to evaluate the fiscal impact, whether the taxpayer can afford to pay for this.”
“I’d have to evaluate any specific legislation, as I would on any legislation,” he said Sunday on NBC. “I certainly support couples having access to IVF. It’s not even a controversial issue in any of the 50 states.”
WATCH: Sen. Tom Cotton says Republicans would be “open” to Trump’s proposed IVF plan after evaluating fiscal impact.@SenTomCotton: “Supporting couples who are trying to use IVF or other fertility treatments, I don’t think is something that’s controversial at all.” pic.twitter.com/AUc77I5vUL
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress)
Cotton was pressed on a Democrat-led IVF bill that he and most Republicans opposed, calling it a “ridiculous messaging bill” that “requires fertility treatment for men who think they’re women.”
The Harris campaign maintains that Trump and the GOP still oppose IVF and abortion access.
“In case anybody has forgotten, Trump and [Sen. J.D.] Vance’s official platform promises to effectively ban IVF and abortion,” Harris spokesman Kevin Munoz said Friday. “Trump continues to refuse to veto extreme legislation that would threaten access to IVF for families across the country.”
The Republican National Committee’s platform, which was adopted in July, softened the GOP’s stance on abortion due to pressure from the Trump campaign but also called for members to “oppose Late Term Abortion while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), appearing on ABC, floated a middle ground where a “means-tested tax credit” for IVF could be approved.
“I think [Trump was] just trying to show his support for IVF treatments,” Graham said of the proposal. “The party has been accused of being against birth control. We’re not. We’ve been accused of being against IVF treatments. We’re not.”
Sen. Graham says Trump was trying to “show his support for IVF treatments” with his new remarks on public funding.
“We’ve been accused—the party has—of being against birth control. We’re not. We’ve been accused of being against IVF treatments. We’re not.” https://t.co/J9GCShSZlt pic.twitter.com/rHCSN5fA1y
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC)
“We have tax credits for people to have children,” Graham continued. “Maybe we should have a means-tested tax credit for people using IVF and other treatments to become pregnant. I would support a tax credit, means tested kind of like we do with children. That makes sense to me, to encourage people to have children.”
When asked if he’d support mandating insurance companies to cover the full cost of IVF, Graham gave a flat “no,” citing the cost.
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The battle over IVF emerged earlier this year when an Alabama Supreme Court ruling gave embryos personhood status, resulting in state IVF clinics temporarily shutting down to comply with the decision.
Republicans largely disavowed the IVF ruling, and Trump said during a recent rally, “In Alabama, where the judge ruled against it, I countered the judge and came out with a very strong statement for it.”
