U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is urging voters to not trust former President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to use public funding to support in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Trump, who made the campaign promise Thursday on NBC News, vowed to have federal government or insurance companies mandated to front the cost of IVF.
Critics derided the pledge – which appeared to be a seismic shift in policy from the GOP, some of whose national members applauded when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled embryos created through IVF were to be considered people, ultimately restricting IVF care for those in the state.
Democrats cited Trump’s timing as evidence of insincerity: the promise came as post-Democratic National Convention polling aggregates showed his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, maintained leads in key battleground states, such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, but remaining very close.
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Now, one of the state of Washington’s own U.S. senators has weighed in. Speaking in a one-on-one interview with KIRO Newsradio Tuesday, Murray said Trump is “unequivocally” not to be believed in his promise for support.
“He is the person who appointed the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade,” she said, adding that the Republicans in Congress largely opposed previous legislation to expand IVF protections, the Right to IVF Act.
The legislation failed to advance after 47 Senate Republicans voted against it in June, including Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. Two GOP members joined Democrats in support, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine.
“Donald Trump was totally silent on that. He didn’t call up his members and say, ‘Vote for it,’” Murray said. “But I would challenge him with this: If you want to change your position and be with us, then call those Republican senators, tell them to vote for it, and when he does that and we see the results of that – possibly, I will believe him.”
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Murray’s comments came during a visit to Jewish retirement home in Seattle on Tuesday where she touted the Inflation Reduction Act and its provisions capping costs for Medicare patients.
The former president’s promise has apparently created another point of contention within the GOP. On Saturday, Politico reported Trump allies in the senate, Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), disagree over the proposal.
In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Cotton suggested “most Republicans” would be open to supporting Trump’s proposal.
“In principle, supporting couples who are trying to use IVF or other fertility treatments – I don’t think that’s controversial at all,” he told Meet the Press on Sunday, despite voting against the Right to IVF Act just several weeks prior.
Graham, however, has said he would not support such a mandate on insurance companies to cover IVF costs. He told ABC News he would support a tax credit instead.
Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.
