Who needs 100 days? Donald Trump is accomplishing amazing things in three! It’s been a big week in Washington for the unborn. First, we watched the new president move quickly to deliver on his promise to wipe out the funding for overseas abortion groups and redirect that money to real health care providers.

The Left kicked and screamed, insisting that the administration was hurting women. But, as most Americans agree, abortion hurts women more. It’s entirely possible, eight in 10 Americans believe, “to have laws that protect both the health and well-being of the woman and the life of the unborn.” By reinstating the Mexico City policy (which really has nothing to do with Mexico, it just happens to be the city where Ronald Reagan first signed the order), President Trump is sending a powerful message to the world that the America which respects and cherishes life is back.

And the House is more than happy to signal the same at home, passing the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act [Tuesday] by a 238-183 margin. It was a huge victory for conservatives, who’ve waited years to send the bill to the desk of a pro-life president. Proving that the idea isn’t just a Republican one, three Democrats were on the right side of history: Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Collin Peterson (D-MN). Only the Senate stands in the way of ensuring taxpayers are out of the abortion funding business. And if you’re wondering about the new administration, it’s left no doubt where the president stands on the measure.

“The administration strongly supports H.R. 7,” the White House said in a statement. “If the President were presented with H.R. 7 in its present form, he would sign the bill.” For the other side, this hasn’t exactly been a week to celebrate. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, who may have to find a donor other than the federal government to finance her culture of death, complained that the vote to build a wall between taxpayers and the abortion industry is an “attack on abortion access.” No, it’s an attack on abortion excess. And then there were the outright lies, like Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY).

“For the first time, Republicans are restricting the right of women to use their own money to pay for abortions… Under this bill, women will have to prove they are a victim of rape or incest or will have to provide detailed medical records to determine just how at risk their life was… Women will not only have to suffer the trauma of a sexual assault or the loss of a pregnancy because of life-threatening complications, they will now also have to face an IRS inquisition to get their own money back. So much for Republicans’ pledge to get ‘big government’ out of people’s lives.”

There is absolutely no reason that Americans should be on the hook for a dangerous, deadly, immoral and most always elective procedure. A private decision shouldn’t require public funding. With the March for Life just [one] day away, the House is doing what it can to end the forced partnership between taxpayers and the abortion industry. As Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) said during the debate, “It was just last week that groups of women marched in the streets of DC and other cities across the country, apparently ready to write off this presidency as it’s just begun. But there were millions of pro-life women who were explicitly told they were unwelcome at this event.” Black continued, “So today, the People’s House is giving them — and the more than 60 percent of Americans from all political persuasions who oppose taxpayer funding of abortion — a voice.” When hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers descend on Washington, they can all be grateful that Congress has already started its march toward a more compassionate country.

Originally published here.

Pai Are Squared Away at FCC

It has often been a difficult and lonely fight for Ajit Pai as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but Commissioner Pai is being rewarded for his longsuffering. [Tuesday], the Republican FCC commissioner was handed the gavel of the commission when Donald Trump named him the new chair. “I’m deeply grateful to the president of the United States for designating me the 34th Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” Pai told reporters. “I am looking forward to working with the new administration, my colleagues at the Commission, members of Congress, and the American public to bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans.”

Faithful Update readers may remember that Pai was the leading voice against the threat of government censorship of online media. In a story that exploded across the internet, the FCC under Obama took a beating for its latest suggestion that Big Brother be the big arbiter of media bias. Then-Commissioner Pai took the story from relative oblivion to the top of the Drudge Report with a scathing op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that accuses his agency of “meddling” in the business of broadcasters. It was a concern Ajit echoed to me on “Washington Watch.” (Click here to listen.) “The American people, for their part, disagree about what they want to watch,” Pai wrote in the Journal. “But everyone should agree on this: The government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories.”

We were grateful for Pai’s involvement then, and we will be even more grateful to have a level-headed leader at the levers of American communications. Congratulations on your new post, Chairman Pai! FRC and millions of families look forward to working with you to protect our core values on TV, in print and across the airwaves.

Originally published here.

This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.