This September marks the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment’s first passage in the House of Representatives — the annual appropriations rider that bars federal funding of elective abortion.No one should be surprised that Democrats would mark the moment by extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that help enable backdoor abortion funding in blue states. What did surprise pro-lifers was President Donald Trump’s recent declaration that Republicans “have to be a little flexible on Hyde.”Human lives aren’t negotiable. Neither is the Hyde Amendment.“We’re all big fans of everything, but you have to have flexibility,” Trump told House Republicans in Washington on Jan. 6. He urged them to “work something” out on health care, a line that seemed to suggest Hyde could become a bargaining chip.For millions of GOP voters, it cannot.Just one year ago, the president aligned himself with them. On his fourth day in office, he signed an executive order declaring that “consistent with the Hyde Amendment,” it is the policy of the United States “to end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.”The same president helped overturn Roe v. Wade, restored the Mexico City policy ending funding for overseas abortions, and declared himself the “most pro-life president” in history.If his position has changed, Americans have the right to know.The Hyde Amendment is estimated to have saved more than 2.6 million lives over the past five decades. It forbids the use of federal tax dollars for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or a life-threatening medical emergency.Yet the abortion lobby found a work-around. Twenty state Medicaid programs cover elective abortions using state funds, and millions of enrollees in those plans receive federal subsidies to help pay their premiums.In plain terms, federal tax dollars indirectly support abortion in blue states, regardless of Hyde. It’s the same moral and fiscal problem that drove Congress to defund Planned Parenthood in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act spending package last July. Why cut off one pipeline while leaving another one wide open?The Jan. 1 expiration of Biden-era enhancements to Obamacare subsidies offered Republicans a chance to close this loophole.RELATED: ‘Fraud ... for abortion’? Vance announces probe into Planned Parenthood's $88M taxpayer-funded loans at March for Life Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty ImagesHouse Republicans, to their credit, tried. In December, they passed H.R. 6703, which would explicitly block federal dollars from helping pay for a Medicaid plan that covers elective abortion. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill would lower Obamacare premiums by 11% on average through 2035 — nearly double the estimated reduction in the Democrats’ plan — and shrink the national deficit by $35.6 billion.Then 17 Republicans defected.On Jan. 8, they voted with Democrats to force a “clean” three-year extension of Obamacare subsidies with no language protecting taxpayers from subsidizing abortion.Now the bill moves to the Senate, where negotiations reportedly continue on a bipartisan package. Thankfully, contrary to Trump’s calls for “flexibility,” Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has signaled that Hyde will remain non-negotiable in any deal.“We want to ensure that, if we do anything, it’s done in a way that reforms these programs and ... ensures that those dollars aren’t being used to go against the practice that’s been in place for the last 50 years around here, when it comes to taxpayer dollars being used to finance abortions,” Thune told reporters on Jan. 6.The president — and any Republicans tempted to treat Hyde as disposable — should follow Thune’s lead. Trump may have a gift for “the art of the deal,” but the values at the center of the Republican coalition are not bargaining chips.The GOP has long cast itself as a party of abolitionists, freedom fighters, and defenders of the vulnerable unborn. It should not compromise those claims for short-term political convenience — and become what it says it opposes.Respectfully, Mr. President, human lives aren’t negotiable. Neither is the Hyde Amendment.

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California says employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be "unhirable" in his state in order to oppose deportation efforts.Swalwell made the comments while being interviewed on CNN, but his comments were posted to social media, where they were widely circulated.'If you're going to work for fascists, forget about working in this state. ... So we're not weak, we have to go on offense.'"I don't think anybody likes or wants what ICE is doing right now. We were told the most violent individuals would be deported," said Swalwell."Again, a child, U.S. citizen, battling stage-four cancer, deported," he added. "Once you shoot a mom in the face three times who has stuffies in her glove compartment and Cheerios, not a weapon, not a knife, you shot her in the face three times, and you claim that you were justified? Forget it! No one asked for this, and ICE as it exists today needs to be completely dismantled."Swalwell was referring to the lethal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, but he conveniently failed to include that she had made her vehicle into a weapon when she swerved into an ICE agent.The other incident he cited was that of a child with kidney cancer who was sent to Honduras when his two parents, both described as "mothers," were deported. A lawsuit claims the government did not give his parents the option to let the boy stay in the U.S., but the Department of Homeland Security denies the allegation.Swalwell went on to say that he would ruin ICE agents' employment opportunities if he were elected governor."As governor, I would use the powers of the office. If you're going to wear a mask as an ICE agent in our state, I will take away your driver's license. If you work for ICE, you will be unhirable in the state," Swalwell added."If you're going to work for fascists, forget about working in this state," he added. "So we are not weak. We have to go on offense. Otherwise the most vulnerable in our communities are on defense, and I urge every governor to start protecting their people in their state that way."RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez gets crushed online for her comments about ICE — by outraged liberals CNN anchor Kasie Hunt pushed back on Swalwell's claim about "fascist" ICE agents. "Do you think every ICE agent on the streets is a fascist?" she asked, eyebrows briefly furrowed.In response, Swalwell doubled down, claiming that working for ICE is a "choice." "No one's forcing you to do that," he added.Swalwell's announcement to seek the governor's office in California has been mocked and ridiculed by Republicans. A November 2025 poll showed that only 24% of Californians had a favorable view of the candidate, 23% had an unfavorable view of him, and a majority of 53% were unsure or had not even heard of him.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas took off on a cross-country flight Tuesday bound for the Sunshine State ahead of a bitter snowstorm expected to ravage the nation's capital.Washington, D.C., residents are hunkering down for a bitter winter storm this weekend, clearing shelves in grocery aisles and general stores. Meanwhile, Cruz was spotted on a flight bound for Laguna Beach, California, mirroring a similar trip he took in 2021, when Texas endured a devastating winter storm and power outage. 'You need to start preparing for an intense winter storm.'"Meteorologists use the Waffle House Index to measure disasters," one meteorologist quipped. "Texans use the Ted Cruz Index: If he's on a plane, expect crippling ice, snow or cold."Notably, the Senate was out of session this week, and a spokesperson for Cruz maintained that he was on a "pre-planned work travel that was scheduled weeks in advance.""He will be back in Texas before the storm is projected to hit." RELATED: Glenn Beck’s 2026 DOOMSDAY prediction has ALREADY begun Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty ImagesWith an eye on weather forecasts, DMV locals are stocking up on household essentials, prepping at levels not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Photos circulating on social media under the hashtag "snowmaggedon" show long lines and grocery shelves cleared of produce and non-perishables while hardware stores report snow essentials like shovels and even sleds flying off the shelves.Ahead of the brutal forecast, dozens of states have declared a state of emergency, and officials are urging Americans to prep for the winter storm set to bring ice, sleet, snow, and sub-zero wind chills all over the Northeast and Southern Plains. Southern states like Texas are at the highest risk of record-breaking low temperatures, but any of the affected areas may have to endure days of sub-zero temperatures if their power goes out.RELATED: Do not pass the plow: The danger of declaring a golden age without repentance Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesStocking up on batteries, food, water, winter clothing, and blankets, as well as refueling cars, is recommended. Also make sure carbon monoxide alarms are functioning, and never run a gas generator inside a home or garage. Officials are also advising those affected to avoid traveling and to monitor any weather developments over the coming days."You need to start preparing for an intense winter storm right now," Matt Van Swol of North Carolina said in a post on X. "I did not [heed] the warnings of many people before Hurricane Helene and we were caught totally unprepared. Do not make the same mistakes I did. Please start preparing for extreme cold and no power for at least a few days, right now."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Director James Cameron says he prefers to live in New Zealand because of how "sane" it is compared to the United States.The "Avatar" series director explained during a recent interview that he particularly preferred the New Zealand style of governance during COVID-19, which is when he decided to move there.'Fortunately, they already had a 98% vaccination rate.'Buying the farmCameron told host Graham Bensinger that he fell in love with the scenery and people of New Zealand while visiting in 1994 and made a promise to himself that he would live there someday. Cameron bought a farm there in 2011 and found himself spending a lot of time in the country in the years to come."We came back for Christmas and then COVID hit, and we didn't get back down there. So then I had to move mountains to get our production unit back up and running in New Zealand, and we just decided at that point in time that it was time to make the move as a family," Cameron explained.Fauci fanFrom there, the filmmaker began boasting about New Zealand's lockdowns for COVID-19, praising the country's enforcement."New Zealand was — they had eliminated the virus completely. They actually eliminated the virus twice," Cameron claimed. "The third time when it showed up in a mutated form, it broke through. But fortunately they already had a 98% vaccination rate."At the time, New Zealand was under the rule of socialist Jacinda Ardern, who ran the government with her Labour Party from 2017 to 2023. The country used a four-level alert system for COVID and spent a whole month under forced confinement except for "essential movement."Legislation included allowing police to use any "reasonable means including force" to ensure compliance, with punishments up to six months in prison."This is why I love New Zealand," Cameron continued. RELATED: Christian children's movie 'David' beats out 'Spongebob' and Sydney Sweeney in box-office shock Cuckoo for KiwisThe Canadian-born director then began expressing his disdain for what he felt is Americans' sub-optimal vaccination rates."People [in New Zealand] are for the most part sane as opposed to the United States, where you had a 62% vaccination rate, and that's going down, going the wrong direction. Are you kidding me?! Where would you rather live?" he asked Bensinger.The host stumbled, initially not realizing Cameron was looking for an answer. "Oh! Right," he replied before Cameron jumped in."A place that actually believes in science and is sane and where people can work together cohesively to a common goal, or a place where everybody's at each other's throats extremely polarized, turning its back on science, and basically would be in utter disarray if another pandemic appears."Yes-manBensinger spoke up after those comments from Cameron though."I mean, the United States is a fantastic place to live.""Is it?" Cameron challenged.Seemingly not wanting his podcast to spiral out of control, Bensinger added, "but New Zealand is just stunningly beautiful.""I'm not there for the scenery. I'm there for the sanity," Cameron reaffirmed.RELATED: James Cameron explains how a 'Terminator-style apocalypse' could happen Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP via Getty Images Carbon coperThe interview then shifted to Cameron's farm and his veganism, with the 71-year-old explaining that he grows organic, farm-to-table vegetables for local businesses."I don't personally have a problem with GMO per se," Cameron said about his growing techniques. "Other than when you start to couple it with these chemical pesticides and herbicides into an integrated system, it's actually opening the door to a lot of chemistry that shouldn't be in our ... bodies," he said unironically.Defending his veganism, Cameron concluded that if everyone was "100% plant-based," not only would humanity live with a much smaller "carbon footprint," but the environment and wildlife would be in much better shape.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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