Committee narrowly reports TANF clarification to allow pregnancy resource centers to receive funds amid heated debate
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
HR 6945, clarifying that states may use TANF funds for pregnancy resource centers, was reported out of committee 25–18 after lengthy debate and numerous failed amendments addressing fraud, oversight, HHS freezes of funds, and health‑care access.
After several hours of contentious debate and repeated amendment votes, the House Ways and Means Committee voted to report HR 6945, the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act, which clarifies that nothing in statute shall prohibit states from using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support pregnancy resource centers.
Sponsor Representative Fishbach framed the bill as preserving state flexibility and protecting pregnancy resource centers that provide material supports and voluntary services, saying the measure "simply reaffirms that states may continue partnering with pregnancy centers that are already serving families." Supporters described centers'which, they said, provide diapers, parenting education and referrals'as life‑affirming community resources.
Opponents, including Representative Chu and others, said many pregnancy resource centers operate as unregulated, nonmedical facilities that sometimes provide misleading medical information, citing studies and state actions. Representative Schneider told the committee: "They trick women. They're a scam, plain and simple." Representative Doggett recounted field hearings and medical harms in states with restricted reproductive access, saying, "Their death certificate should really read that the cause of death is the Republican abortion ban." (These are statements made in committee by members.)
The markup included a sequence of floor‑style amendment votes. Representative Del Bene's anti‑fraud amendment (which would have barred TANF funds to centers found by state medical boards to have provided misleading or dangerous medical information) failed on the roll call reported in the transcript (19 yes, 24 no). Other proposed amendments (including GAO certification, HHS penalty/interest on late payments, and safeguards tying TANF diversion to fully funded family‑planning services) were debated and failed by similar margins. Committee members also spent time on the recent HHS decision to freeze funding to five states; Democrats called that action unlawful and urged penalties and immediate release of funds, while Republicans defended HHS review as necessary to guard against fraud.
Despite the contentious exchanges, the chair's amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to and Representative Buchanan moved to favorably report HR 6945 as amended. The clerk announced the roll call: 25 yes, 18 no. HR 6945 as amended was ordered favorably reported to the House. The committee authorized staff to make technical and conforming changes and gave members two days to file supplemental views.