The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith, New Jersey Republican, essentially codifies the Hyde Amendment, a rider that prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for abortions that has been approved by Congress every year since 1976.
Speaker Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, said the bill "protects the conscience of American taxpayers by ensuring that not a single dollar of their hard-earned money goes to fund abortions,"
He said the legislation is a reminder that "defending all of our people--especially the defenseless--must be our top priority if we want to be a good and moral nation."
"We are a pro-life Congress," the speaker added.