Murray, Blumenthal, Colleagues Introduce CRA to Overturn Trump Administration Rule Ending Life-Saving Abortion Care for Veterans

Senators roll out Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Trump VA’s new policy ending abortion care and counseling for veterans
Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committeeand a former chair and senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), joined SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Committee Democrats today introduced aCongressional Review Act (CRA) resolutionto overturn the Trump Administration’s new rule ending abortion counseling entirely and abortion care for veterans who have been raped or whose pregnancy is threatening their health. This CRA follows a newfinal rulefiled by the Trump Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to end VA’s ability to provide these services to veterans.
“Trump’s VA abortion ban is a profound betrayal of women who put their lives on the line for our country—ripping away access to abortion care even when a woman is raped or her pregnancy endangers her health. If the Trump administration thought they could quietly implement this extreme abortion ban and get away with it, they thought wrong—we won’t stop being loud about this. Trump’s policy not only rips away VA’s already-limited ability to provide abortion care, but it gags VA providers from even talking to their veteran patients about their health care options. It does not get more extreme than this. I hope every Senator will join me in fighting to overturn Trump’s abortion ban at VA and restore essential health care for our veterans,”said Senator Murray.
In September 2022, VAbegan to offerabortion counseling to all pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries, and abortion in cases of rape, incest, or life or health endangerment of the veteran or CHAMPVA beneficiary. This was in response to theDobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationruling, which created urgent risks to the lives and health of pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries in states that banned or otherwise severely restricted access to abortion.
Prior to the publication of the final rule, the Trump Department of Justice issued amemobanning this abortion care and counseling at VA, and the Trump VA issued its owninternal memoimplementing this new policy immediately. This follows the Trump VA’sannouncement in Augustof its intent to issue this change in a proposed rule.
More than 462,000 women veterans of reproductive age are enrolled in VA health care, and more than 112,000 women of reproductive age are enrolled in CHAMPVA. More than half of these women live in states that have enacted abortion bans or restrictions.
“The Trump VA’s new policy’s primary purpose is to prevent women who are victims of rape or incest or whose health is at risk from receiving abortion care. We cannot let the Trump Administration deprive women veterans of essential health care so they can score cheap political points. Our Congressional Review Act resolution aims to overturn this cruel, misguided action. If my Republican colleagues really believe in protecting women veterans who have been raped or whose health is at risk, they can prove it— simply support this resolution,”said Ranking Member Blumenthal.
“The Trump administration seems hellbent on abandoning our veterans by withholding lifesaving health care. But Senate Democrats will not let this happen without a fight,” said Leader Schumer. “The rule by the Trump administration is just another cruel step toward their clear, extreme goal of a national abortion ban, an idea that is way out of step with the American people. This CRA gives senators the opportunity to support the health and safety of the servicemembers who sacrifice to keep our country safe,”said Leader Schumer.
In addition to Senators Murray, Blumenthal, and Schumer, the joint resolution is cosponsored by SVAC Committee members U.S. Senators Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
The CRA is also endorsed by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Vet Voice Foundation, Minority Veterans of America, Common Defense and twelve other organizations dedicated to protecting the rights and freedoms of our nation’s veterans, including Modern Military Association of America, Service Women’s Action Network, Reproductive Freedom for All, National Partnership for Women & Families, American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Center for Reproductive Rights, Guttmacher Institute, National Council of Jewish Women, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Power to Decide.
The full text of the CRA resolution can be foundHERE.
Advocating for women veterans and their access to reproductive health care has also been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. Senator Murraycalled onVA to provide abortion care to veterans early in the Biden administration, and sheapplaudedthe Biden administration’s announcement later in the year that would begin to provide abortion care for veterans and their eligible dependents to protect the health and life of the individual and in cases of rape or incest. Murray has helpedlead the chargeincalling outRepublicans for theirattacks on, and attempts to undo, this limited and commonsense policy. Senator Murray also leads theVeteran Families Health Services Act,comprehensive legislation that would expand fertility treatments—including IVF—and family-building services for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance, and she hassought unanimous consentto pass the legislation on multiple occasions. She introducednew legislationlast summer with Senator Duckworth to help cover IVF costs for servicemembers and military families—andslammed Speaker Johnsonfrom working behind the scenes to strip an amendment mirroring that legislation from the finalNational Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026.Senator Murrayvoted against the NDAAlast year, citing—among other things—the failure to include her provision to expand IVF care for servicemembers and veterans. Senator Murrayslammedthe Trump administration’s initial move to ban abortion care at VA in August, andsounded the alarmagain in December when the Trump administration quietly implemented a near-total abortion ban at VA.
Senator Murray is also alongtime leaderin the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturningRoe v. Wade. Murray hasintroducedmorethanadozenpieces oflegislationto protect reproductive rights from further attacks,protect providers, and help ensure womenget the carethey need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary ofRoe v. Wade, Murrayled her colleaguesin hosting a “State of Abortion Rights” briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committeehearingtitled “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes toprotect access to contraceptionandaccess to IVF(twice), and sheled her colleaguesin raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration would pose to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, asoutlined in Project 2025. At a forum Senator Murray held at the beginning of this year on the anniversary of theDobbsdecision, Senator Murray spoke about Republicans’ plan to institute abackdoor nationwide abortion ban, including by defunding Planned Parenthood.
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