Congressional proposal aims at ‘loophole’ for ideology policies

By Alan Wooten
The Center Square

Taxpayer dollars going through “a loophole to promote far-left, radical ideology” needs to stop, says North Carolina’s junior senator as he seeks to codify an action of the president.

Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance Act, filed by Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., would prevent American foreign assistance from being used to fund abortion, promote abortion, or to promote what he calls “discriminatory equity ideology and radical gender ideology.”

“U.S. foreign assistance programs have been exploited as a loophole to promote far-left, radical ideology on the dime of American taxpayers for far too long,” Budd said. “Future administrations must not be permitted to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on programs funding abortion, DEI, and gender ideology abroad. Our country’s foreign assistance priorities should benefit our national security and strengthen our relationship with allies and partners – not advance a politically driven checklist of radical agenda items.”

Protecting life in foreign assistance is already on the Federal Register through the State Department, having gone into effect Feb. 26. Republican President Donald Trump and his administration at the outset of his second term identified multiple programs using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion, promote controversial diversity policy and gender ideology via global health, humanitarian and development aid.

Budd cited the illegal use of a presidential emergency plan for AIDS Relief to pay for abortions in Mozambique; funding the New Alliance for Global Equality that advances “global LGBTQI+ awareness”; funding that promotes “democracy” for LGBTQI+ populations in the Western Balkans; and funding in Guatemala to “strengthen trans-led organizations to deliver gender-affirming health care.”

LGBTQI+ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and intersex. The “+” represents other diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

The proposal centers on the Mexico City Policy, a directive put back in place with Trump’s second term. It doesn’t allow federal funds for abortion services, either through providing, promoting or referring.

Budd’s bill expands the entities covered by the policy to American nongovernmental organizations, international organizations and foreign governments and parastatals; adds diversity, equity and inclusion policies as well as gender ideology to abortion related policy; covers most nonmilitary foreign assistance in addition to global health assistance; and creates a provision for the secretary of state to make exceptions in certain circumstances.

Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, helping push the bill, said, “American taxpayers should never be forced to fund abortions or radical gender ideology, whether in the United States or abroad. I’ve consistently highlighted this kind of wasteful spending, and this bill codifies the Trump administration’s Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance policy, so these protections endure beyond any single administration. U.S. foreign assistance should reflect American values, not undermine them.”