Abortion Amendments Stall Bills on D.C. Budget Autonomy, Flood Insurance

June 27, 2012 — A markup on legislation (S 2345) that would grant budget autonomy to the District of Columbia was postponed on Wednesday after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) proposed several amendments, including one to permanently ban the district from using its own funds to pay for abortion services, the Washington Post's "D.C. Wire" reports (Pershing, "D.C. Wire," Washington Post, 6/26). Meanwhile, another amendment by Paul that would define life as beginning at conception delayed a bill (S 1940) to renew the federal flood insurance program (Kasperowicz, "Hill Tube," The Hill, 6/26).

Sen. Joseph Lieberman's (I-Conn.) autonomy proposal would allow the district to spend its own funds without waiting for congressional approval and let D.C. officials determine when to start the fiscal year, rather than following the federal calendar. The bill, which has the support of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and local officials, was scheduled for a markup before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning.

However, the bill was derailed after Paul proposed his amendments. The abortion funding ban is supported by antiabortion-rights groups and has been included in appropriations bills every year that Republicans have controlled at least one congressional chamber since the mid-1990s ("D.C. Wire," Washington Post, 6/26).

Paul's various amendments -- including ones to roll back district gun laws -- prompted objections from Norton and local activists and officials. They said the proposals infringe on the city's right to govern its own affairs (Dumain, Roll Call, 6/27).

Mary Brooks Beatty (R), a nominee for the D.C. Council, called the proposals an "overreach" with "no place in this bill." She added, "[I]t's a shame that someone elected to represent Kentucky has decided to add language that could deny rights to District residents" (Howell, Washington Times, 6/26).

Abortion Amendment Threatens Flood Insurance Bill

Paul's amendment to the flood insurance bill would "ensure equal protection for right to life of each born and preborn human person." It also states that "Congress hereby declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being" ("Hill Tube," The Hill, 6/26).

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) denied Paul's request for a vote on the abortion amendment. "After all the work that's been put into this bill, this is ridiculous that somebody says, 'I'm not going to let this bill go forward unless I have a vote on when life begins,'" Reid said, adding, "I am not going to do that, and I think I speak for the majority of senators."

Paul told reporters on Tuesday, "I think the people who believe in protecting life would like to see a vote" (Min Kim, "On Congress," Politico, 6/26). He said he has no plans to withdraw the amendment, noting that the move was intended to generate a debate on abortion issues (Kaper, National Journal, 6/26).