“I think if you believe that there’s a path to codify Roe, by all means, let’s do it. But there’s not. So let’s do what we can to save lives,” Himes said in an interview.
Although House Democrats are eyeing votes on roughly a half-dozen popular bills on abortion and related social issues raised by the Supreme Court’s decision last month — starting with two on Friday — Himes’ ideas aren’t currently on the docket, according to a senior Democratic aide. That’s in line with many other Democrats in the House and Senate who are leery of doing anything less than fully restoring the constitutional right to an abortion.
It’s a gamble for a party that wants to channel voter anger over Roe as a way to motivate its base, even as it lacks any consensus on how to build that momentum. Himes’ impassioned push to his colleagues reflects yet another sign of Democratic fury that despite their control of Congress and the White House, they’re virtually powerless against the Supreme Court.
Still, several Democrats said they feared Himes’ approach could essentially lower the bar for future action.
“We’re not going to negotiate a woman’s right to choose,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday when asked if she would consider a slimmed-down bill.
For now, both chambers are taking slightly different approaches that party leaders say have the same goal: putting Republicans on the record. While the House is pursuing floor votes on abortion bills that won’t come up in the Senate, the upper chamber is instead planning weekly attempts to pass abortion-rights proposals by voice vote, a process known as unanimous consent requests.
That strategy allows the Senate to consider a bill without burning valuable floor time they need for nominations and potential legislation. It also acknowledges a critical difference between the two Democratic-controlled chambers: the House can pass legislation with a simple majority while the Senate has to contend with a GOP filibuster or may even lack votes from all 50 Senate Democrats.
The House will take its first post-Roe votes on Friday. One bill, from Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas), would protect patients who travel for abortions, including those in her home state, where the procedure is now banned outright in most cases. Lawmakers will also vote for the second time in two years on a bill that codifies the right to an abortion, while expanding access in certain cases.
House Democrats plan to use…
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