Conservative lawmakers in the House are becoming more and more disappointed as their opportunity to limit access to abortion during this session of Congress seems to be failing.

House Speaker Mike Johnson

Since assuming control of the divided House GOP conference in October, the speaker has been caught in a difficult position regarding abortion. On one side, there are hardline members pushing for strict policies, while on the other side, more moderate Republicans adamantly oppose them. Despite ongoing conflicts within the party, it has become clear that the numerous anti-abortion measures added to spending bills will not be successful under Johnson’s leadership or that of any other GOP speaker in the near future.

Johnson’s upcoming appearance at the March for Life rally in Washington is causing frustration among anti-abortion leaders and influential groups. This could complicate his attempts to prevent a government shutdown.

Rep. Bob Good

The chair of the House Freedom Caucus, (R-Va.), issued a warning that the “majority of the Republican conference” will be dissatisfied and frustrated if Johnson does not take stronger action in advocating for the anti-abortion policy riders that have been requested by conservatives since last year.

They stated their confidence in him to achieve success in restricting abortion, a goal that was not achieved by the previous leader. However, the Republican representative from Louisiana has faced strong opposition from moderate Republicans in his group and from the Senate controlled by Democrats. The Senate has promised to block any efforts to limit access to abortion. This creates a difficult situation for Johnson, as it is challenging to reach a compromise that will not upset some members of his group and will not be rejected by the Senate.

Johnson and his associates are attempting to appease upset conservatives by claiming that their budget agreement with Democrats, which delays the conflict until March, presents House Republicans with another chance to advocate for conservative measures in the upcoming weeks as they negotiate the specifics of individual spending bills.

The representative emphasized that the speaker has given us the opportunity to negotiate.Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), who chairs the State and Foreign Operations subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. “A shutdown will do nothing except waste money and destroy our ability to get conservative wins.”

The conservatives saw the debate on government spending as their top and potentially sole means of reversing the Biden administration’s efforts to widen access to abortion. They dedicated months to including clauses in almost every appropriations bill. Their ideas included prohibiting the mailing of abortion pills, reinstating limits on abortion in global HIV programs, preventing the military from funding abortion-related travel for service members across state lines, eliminating abortion coverage for veterans, removing Planned Parenthood from multiple federal health programs, and prohibiting state Medicaid programs from covering abortion.

But Rep. Tom Cole

A senior member of the Appropriations Committee (R-Okla.) is managing expectations as fellow members anticipate the release of the finalized bill text.

According to Cole, Johnson has not guaranteed us policy victories, but he has assured us that we have the ability to strive for them.

The House GOP’s focus on anti-abortion issues has diminished as Johnson’s spending agreement with Democrats takes center stage. Hardliners are upset about the spending and immigration demands, causing a lack of guidance from GOP leaders on whether anti-abortion policies will be included in the final version of individual spending bills. Several House members have also reported that Johnson has not discussed the fate of these policies in closed-door caucus meetings since the announcement of the spending deal.

In November, Johnson was praised as the ideal candidate for the job. This has led to an increase in pressure on House Republicans to include anti-abortion measures. After blocking a bill last week, House GOP leaders are now attempting to garner support from fellow Republicans for two separate bills backed by anti-abortion organizations. One of these bills redirects federal funds to crisis pregnancy centers, which do not offer abortion services and instead advise patients against seeking them. Republicans argue that this legislation will provide support for pregnant individuals and children without upsetting centrists who are against new restrictions on abortion. The White House has warned that it will veto the legislation.

The Democratic leaders have made a promise for several months to serve as a protective barrier against any anti-abortion clauses included in spending bills.

Senator stated that they will not add any new limitations on abortion in their spending bills, unlike House Republicans who have included them in theirs.Patty Murray

“The Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, (D-Wash.), stated that if Republicans continue to include anti-abortion measures, it will only bring us closer to a government shutdown.”

Feeling disheartened by the diminishing opportunities to include anti-abortion measures in the government spending bills, certain members are considering alternative options, such as attaching them to a potential national security supplemental or end-of-year package. However, experienced conservative lawmakers in funding disputes are rejecting these ideas as impractical and stating that Republicans are missing their prime opportunity.

“If we are unable to find a solution for incorporating pro-life laws into a post office naming, our options may be limited,” McClusky stated. “This is one of the few chances we have to pass legislation or at least demonstrate the differences between the Republican and Democratic parties.”