Trump reinstates Mexico City Policy and enforces Hyde Amendment in pair of executive actions on abortion 

President Trump signed a pair of executive actions on Friday aimed at preventing taxpayer money from being used on abortions. 

Trump, 78, issued a presidential memorandum reinstating the so-called Mexico City Policy, which prevents the federal government from funding groups that finance abortion procedures in foreign countries.

The move revokes former President Joe Biden’s January 2021 memo, which authorized taxpayer money to fund non-governmental organizations promoting abortions outside the US. 

“I direct the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to the extent allowable by law, to implement a plan to extend the requirements of the reinstated Memorandum to global health assistance furnished by all departments or agencies,” Trump wrote.  

“I further direct the Secretary of State to take all necessary actions, to the extent permitted by law, to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars do not fund organizations or programs that support or participate in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization,” he added. 

The Mexico City Policy has been the subject of a political tug-of-war since it was introduced in the mid-1980s. 

The Reagan-era rule has been scrapped by all Democratic administrations only to be reimposed when a Republican is in the White House. 

Trump also signed an executive order to enforce the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds for elective abortions domestically. 

“For nearly five decades, the Congress has annually enacted the Hyde Amendment and similar laws that prevent Federal funding of elective abortion, reflecting a longstanding consensus that American taxpayers should not be forced to pay for that practice,” read the order. “However, the previous administration disregarded this established, commonsense policy by embedding forced taxpayer funding of elective abortions in a wide variety of Federal programs.”

“It is the policy of the United States, consistent with the Hyde Amendment, to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.”

The order rescinds multiple measures taken by the Biden administration in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade to expand abortion access.

The actions came on the same day the Justice Department announced that under Trump it will limit enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or “FACE Act” –  a federal law banning the blocking of reproductive health clinic entrances.

DOJ chief of staff Chad Mizelle argued that the law has unfairly been used to target conservatives.