President Trump is swinging a policy hammer to smash through a Biden-era rule that slipped abortions into veterans’ medical benefits.
The Federalist reported that six months into his second term, the Trump administration has put forward a rule to scrap a 2022 policy from the previous administration that allowed taxpayer dollars to fund abortions and related counseling through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Let’s rewind to the start of this term, where one of Trump’s opening moves was reinstating the Mexico City Policy, a Reagan-era safeguard blocking U.S. funds from supporting overseas groups that push or perform abortions.
This isn’t just a random jab—it mirrors what many Americans feel about keeping their hard-earned money out of controversial procedures, especially abroad.
Fast forward to the VA’s latest action, announced in the federal register on August 4, 2025, aiming to reverse the Biden policy that flipped decades of precedent.
For over 20 years, administrations and VA secretaries agreed that abortion wasn’t a “needed” service for veterans. Yet, the 2022 rule tried to rewrite that script after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, a move the current VA calls politically driven rather than grounded in fact.
The VA didn’t mince words, stating, “We believe the 2022 interim final rule was not only inappropriate as a matter of fact but also was legally questionable.”
Well, isn’t that a polite way to say “nice try, but no dice”? If the last administration thought they could sneak this past the goal line, they underestimated the pushback from those who value long-standing fiscal restraint.
Speaking of missteps, the VA pointed out that Biden’s team hyped up a supposed surge in demand for these services that simply never showed up. Their crystal ball must’ve been on the fritz, because, as the VA noted, claims about abortions being vital to save lives don’t hold water.
Let’s clear the air—the VA stressed that no state laws block care for women facing ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages. Lifesaving measures for pregnant veterans aren’t going anywhere, as they’ve always been covered under the benefits package, no matter what the previous rule tried to imply.
The VA doubled down with, “The lives of pregnant women will continue to be protected without regard for the previous administration’s rule.”
That’s a reassuring slap to the narrative that scrapping this policy endangers anyone. It’s not about denying care; it’s about sticking to what’s truly necessary and historically accepted.
This isn’t just a random rollback—it’s a return to a decades-long understanding of the law, as the VA put it, “consistent with VA’s decades-long interpretation.” The 2022 reversal? Pure politics over science, they argue, and it’s hard not to nod along when you see how quickly it unraveled under scrutiny.
Now, the public has a chance to weigh in, with comments open until September 3, 2025, on this proposed change. It’s a rare moment where everyday Americans can directly shape how their tax dollars are spent.
The broader mission here aligns with Trump’s consistent push to eliminate taxpayer funding for abortion, a stance that resonates with many who feel government shouldn’t bankroll divisive issues. The Mexico City Policy’s revival was just the opening act; this VA rule is the encore.
Critics of the Biden policy might argue it was less about veterans’ needs and more about advancing a progressive agenda through backdoor channels. The VA’s data shows the demand they predicted was a mirage—hardly the crisis they painted.
Look, veterans deserve the best care for their sacrifices, and the VA’s stance is clear: lifesaving treatments aren’t at risk, no matter the spin.
As they concluded, this rule “restores VA to its proper role” as a provider of truly needed services. That’s a mission statement worth rallying behind.
So, while some may cry foul over this rollback, the facts suggest it’s a correction, not a cut. The Biden rule overreached, banking on a problem that didn’t exist, and now the pendulum swings back to fiscal and legal sanity.