Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) was in a hurry to move on when CNN’s Dana Bash questioned him over a Texas judge’s ruling to restrict access to a widely-used abortion drug.
Federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. Northern District of Texas ordered a federal hold on Friday to suspend the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a drug used to perform medication abortions. The Associated Press notes that a ruling by a district court judge has plunged mifepristone access into a state of uncertainty, but when Bash interviewed Gonzales for State of the Union, she asked if he was concerned that Kacsmaryk’s ruling “sets a dangerous precedent.”
Instead of directly answering the question, Gonzales declared himself a pro-life believer in state’s rights, then went after the Biden administration for saying they would fight the decision.
I think it’s important that states dictate their futures. And we have to have the courts uphold these. I mean, it’s very dangerous when you have the administration coming out and saying they may not uphold a ruling. As an appropriator on the House Republican side, I look at it as the House Republicans have the power of the purse. And if the administration wants to not not lead this ruling ,not live up to this ruling, then we’re going to have a problem. And it may come a point where house Republicans on the appropriation side have to defund FDA programs that don’t make sense.
You said that you want this to be states’ rights,” Bash asked, “but isn’t a federal judge saying that on a national level that a pill cannot be administered [is] the opposite of states right?”
“Well the states started this,” said Gonzales. “The states had their ruling, and now the federal government is coming in and dictating theirs. There’s I think it’s important that we have to get back in a lower institutions to lead.”
After that, Bash noted that mifepristone is also used for women with miscarriages, so she asked Gonzales “are they just on their own if this ruling is upheld?”
His answer:
No, I think it’s important that we take care of women, and it’s important that we have real discussions on women’s health care, and get off the abortion. Get off the abortion conversation. Women have a whole lot more other issues than just abortion. Let’s have those real conversations and let’s talk about, you know, let’s talk about the other things that are happening in this world.
Gonzales then tried to turn the conversation to the border crisis, even as Bash noted that both issues can be a concern for Americans. Instead of taking up Gonzales’ topic of choice though, Bash asked him what he thought about the Tennessee House of Representatives’ expulsion of two lawmakers protesting for gun control.
Watch above via CNN.
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