WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s call to force free entry in vitro fertilization has baffled congressional Republicans, drawing a mix of skepticism and outspoken opposition across the party spectrum, from center-right to far-right lawmakers.
Some worry that such a policy is expensive. Others admitted they did not understand what he was proposing to do. Others wondered aloud if Trump was serious. A number of Trump allies said in a statement about his announcement Interview with NBC News It was a surprise for them in August.
“I’m against health care for all and I don’t support the current plan to just pay for IVF,” she said. “I think it opens a door that Republicans don’t want to open. I am not in favor of government funding of IVF.
Like more than a dozen other House and Senate Republicans who spoke to NBC News, Greene said he has nothing against IVF for those who want it, but is not sold on a government mandate.
Asked about the IVF revelations, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said it’s “not clear to me” what Trump is proposing.
“I understand that this is something that he thought of on his own and wanted to float out there,” said Hawley, who said he had not heard from Trump before the announcement. “He’s not implementing his policy proposals on my behalf.”
None of the Republicans who spoke to NBC News said they had heard directly from the president about the IVF proposal, though it must be passed by Congress to become law. This reflects Trump’s often haphazard approach to policy, taking positions without a plan to implement them or even being manipulated by key allies in his party whose support is essential to their implementation.
“We’re going to be under the Trump administration, we’re going to pay for this treatment,” Trump said This was reported by NBC News last month when asked what to do about IVF if selected. “We’re going to get the insurance company to pay.”
According to a person close to the campaign and familiar with the strategy, Trump’s decision to announce the offer was “out of the blue” and surprised even his advisers. NBC News has repeatedly asked the Trump campaign for more details on the plan. The person said it was not clear if there was actually a plan.
GOP senators ‘hesitant’ to mandate IVF coverage
But there is little evidence of Republican appetite for the plan in Congress. After Democrats passed some of the free coverage requirements in the Affordable Care Act, the party rebelled against government-guaranteed health and insurance mandates for a decade and a half.
“I am a little hesitant about the insurance mandate. Is there another way we can promote such coverage through the private sector? It makes more sense to me than a mandate,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C., who said he was concerned about the costs. “We have a lot to pay next year by extending the tax provisions. We have to take this into account.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said mandates are “not my style.”
“I would like the insurance companies to make that decision,” he said. “But I can say that the Republican Party is fully on board with IVF, and I think that’s really important. We want to see more babies.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the top Republican on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Trump had not contacted his team about the idea. He said that he has more questions than answers.
“Is it the government? Is it the private sector? We don’t know how much it will cost. What will that do to the price of the prizes?’ Cassidy said. “You just have to figure it out.”
“It’s rooted in scare tactics that IVF is impossible, and that’s simply not true,” Cassidy said.
Some wondered whether Trump was serious in his call for government-mandated coverage of IVF, or whether he was simply speaking to silence Democratic attacks that a Trump victory would threaten access to IVF. It became the main talking point of the Democratic Party in the congressional races An Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year caused clinics to stop IVF treatments.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said, “I’m just taking this as Trump saying he supports IVF.” According to a March CBS News poll, 86% of AmericansWhen the Alabama court issued its decision threatening to end IVF.
“I don’t know that we should go that far to mandate IVF coverage,” Lummis said. “It just increases the cost of insurance. That’s why I don’t know if I agree with giving him a mandate.”
Still, all but Lummis and two Senate Republicans voted to block it Earlier this year, a Democratic bill to protect access to IVF said the proposal was too broad.
Reached for comment, Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt did not address GOP criticism of his idea, but said Trump “supports universal access to contraception and IVF” and reiterated that he wants “states to make abortion decisions.”
“I don’t believe everything should be free”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said making IVF free would be “ridiculous.”
“I’m all for people making their own decisions about IVF. But the government has no money. We’re $2 trillion in the hole, so I’m not in favor of asking the taxpayer to pay for that,” Paul said. “People get emotional about an issue, so they decide to go all out and take a position they’ve never supported because they’re afraid people will accuse them.”
“I don’t believe that everything should be free because that means, let’s say you’re not married or you don’t have kids and you don’t want kids. You don’t have to pay for me to have a child,” the senator said in an interview. “This is ridiculous.”
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said IVF is a “very fluid” issue and wants to read any policy before taking a position. But government-guaranteed coverage hasn’t traditionally been the GOP position, and “I don’t think it should start,” he said.
R-Ind., a former chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee and a Senate candidate. Rep. Jim Banks said he hasn’t seen the Trump policy plan on IVF to evaluate.
“We’ll have to see what that looks like,” he said. “I don’t know what that would look like — making it free.”
Democrats say Trump is lying and trying to deceive voters.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., laughed when asked about Trump, saying she supports mandatory IVF coverage.
“Laugh out loud,” Warren said. “Donald Trump will say whatever he thinks might be another vote for Donald Trump. American women are not fooled. If we’re going to protect federal government access to and pay for IVF, we’ve already voted for it, and Republicans have all voted against it, including [Ohio Sen.] JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate.
“Trump has no credibility in this matter. None of them. Zero. Zip,” he said.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who has led her party in making supportive statements on IVF since her state’s court ruling, declined to say whether she had spoken to Trump or his team about the idea of an IVF coverage mandate.
“President Trump has been the strongest supporter of IVF from the beginning,” Britt said. “So I’m looking forward to digging in, but I’m proud that it’s so loud.”