WASHINGTON — Utah Representative Celeste Maloy is opposing attempts to reintroduce Obama-era guidelines instructing the Pentagon to compensate personnel for expenses incurred when traveling between states for services.
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During an appropriations hearing on Thursday, Maloy rejected an amendment seeking to implement a 2022 policy allowing for reimbursements for abortion-related travel and attach it to legislation funding the Defense Department for the 2026 fiscal year. Maloy argued the proposal runs afoul of the Hyde Amendment, a federal statute passed in 1976 prohibiting federal funds from going toward abortion costs, with few exceptions.
The Hyde Amendment explicitly prohibits federal funding for abortions, with exceptions for instances of rape, incest, and when the mother’s life is at risk,” Maloy stated during her address. “This measure has persisted through each budgetary review period over the past forty years. Although many have discussed avoiding political divisions and argued against treating this as a party-specific issue, the reality is that the Hyde Amendment has maintained broad support across both parties throughout these four decades.
The amendment, proposed by a Democrat during the appropriations hearing, was ultimately rejected.
The DOD issued a policy shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 that would allow military members to receive travel reimbursements and approved leave for abortion-related reasons. That policy was largely approved to allow service members in states where abortion was banned locally to travel across state lines if needed.
That provision was criticized by Republicans and was rescinded shortly after Donald Trump took office in January and signed an executive order enforcing the Hyde Amendment and restricting taxpayer dollars from being used for any abortion-related reasons.
Maloy opposed reviving that policy, contending that it compels taxpayers to cover expenses like travel and accommodations for a process some might not agree with.
The federal government should show restraint and honor the varied ethical beliefs of Americans,” Maloy stated. “This amendment goes against that principle of neutrality, diverging from both the spirit of the Dobbs ruling and the Hyde Amendment.
This could enable the Department of Defense to establish federal abortion guidelines that contradict what Congress has set forth via the Hyde Amendment, which I believe we shouldn’t pursue,” she said further. “Federal abortion regulations must remain consistent as they’ve been over the past four decades under the bipartisan agreement established by the Hyde Amendment. The bill should not include provisions related to abortions, such as funding for abortion-related travel or improved leave policies meant to support access to abortions.
The Republicans largely dismissed the amendment, and the House Appropriations Committee proceeded with the broader legislation, known as the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act.
The bill aims to allocate over $830 billion to the Defense Department and incorporates measures to boost pay for service members, update weaponry systems, implement certain DOGE recommendations to reduce “waste, fraud, and abuse” within the organization, among other things.
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