SUPPORTING PREGNANT AND PARENTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES ACT

On 2026-01-21, Representative Vince Fong (R-CA-20) delivered a floor speech titled "SUPPORTING PREGNANT AND PARENTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES ACT" in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered abortion, taxes. It referenced legislation including HR6945, HRES1009.

SUPPORTING PREGNANT AND PARENTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 14 (Wednesday, January 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 21, 2026)] [House] [Pages H1139-H1147] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SUPPORTING PREGNANT AND PARENTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES ACT Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1009, I call up the bill (H.R. 6945) to amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to clarify the authority of States to use funds for pregnancy centers, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaLota). Pursuant to House Resolution 1009, the amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 119-17 is adopted and the bill, as amended, is considered read. The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows: H.R. 6945 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act''. SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PREGNANCY CENTERS. Section 404 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(l) Use of Funds for Pregnancy Centers.-- ``(1) In general.--Nothing in this part shall be construed to prohibit a State from using a grant made under section 403 to support pregnancy centers. ``(2) Definition of pregnancy center.--In paragraph (1), the term `pregnancy center' means any organization, such as a pregnancy resource center, pregnancy help center or organization, or pregnancy medical center, that-- ``(A) supports protecting the life of the mother and the unborn child; and ``(B) offers resources and services to mothers, fathers, and families, including but not limited to relationship counseling, prenatal and pregnancy education, pregnancy testing, diapers, baby clothes, or other material supports.''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees. The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri. {time} 1410 General Leave Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Missouri? There was no objection. Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act led by Representative Fischbach. What this bill does is really pretty simple. It ensures States will be able to continue to use TANF funds for pregnancy resource centers and the maternal care they provide to pregnant women and moms. That is it, Mr. Speaker. Pregnancy resource centers offered material support and care to over 2 million women at more than 2,700 locations in 2024 alone, including diapers, prenatal vitamins, parenting classes, and transportation, just to name a few of the many services provided to these mothers. [[Page H1140]] These services meet the core purposes of TANF. Yet, the Biden administration proposed a regulation to discriminate against the pro- life mission of pregnancy resource centers by forbidding States from using TANF funds for these centers. It was a deliberate attempt to sidestep the law to achieve a partisan political agenda. Nothing, Mr. Speaker, in the TANF statute gave the Biden administration or any other future administration the ability to target pregnancy resource centers. Following pressure from the Committee on Ways and Means and this Chamber, the Biden administration withdrew the rule in its final days. Think of what would have happened to maternal care in this country. One of the few places women can get care and support would have been closed. In my home State of Missouri, $3 out of every $4 the State gives to pregnancy resource centers comes from TANF, and it is not just Missouri. Women in other States would have had fewer choices for their own care. That is why we are passing this bill, to give pregnant women and moms a choice about where they receive maternal care and to stop any future administration from taking the same action as the Biden White House. Democrats will talk until they are blue in the face, Mr. Speaker, about a woman's right to choose, but they oppose this bill, which is all about empowering women to make their own choices. Why is that, Mr. Speaker? Simply because it doesn't align with their political agenda. The hypocrisy is absolutely stunning, Mr. Speaker. Democrats only believe in choice when it is the choice that their party would make. Republicans are on the side of pregnant women, moms, and children who choose to get the help they need at one of these centers. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as families across the country are being crushed by rising costs and stripped of their healthcare, it is shameful that Republicans have chosen to bring a bill to the floor that does nothing to address these crises for pregnant women and families. Instead, the bill before us today would allow Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, dollars to be used to fund so-called crisis pregnancy centers that have a proven track record of intentionally lying to, misleading, and endangering women. It is no coincidence that this bill is being rushed to the floor this week as Republicans once again prioritize appeasing a national anti- abortion group in town for its annual rally instead of addressing the real crises facing American families. I want to paint a picture as to what happens to a young woman who suspects that she may be pregnant. She has a mix of emotions. She may have overwhelming fear and anxiety, especially if she has few resources. She goes to what she thinks is a medical center or clinic, and it is called a pregnancy center of some sort. When she gets there, she is greeted so warmly with open arms. There are people in white coats, who she assumes are medical professionals. They tell her she can get so many things for free: pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, pregnancy counseling, and, after the birth, even free diapers and formula. It all sounds so wonderful to this woman that she says sign me up. They don't tell this woman that, in order to get these free services, she has to first sit through an ideological or religious indoctrination session in which all the reasons not to have an abortion are given. They don't tell her that the person administering the ultrasound has no medical credentials, that, in fact, this is not an official ultrasound, and that she could be misdiagnosed. They don't tell her that half of the personnel in the so-called clinic have no medical credentials at all and, therefore, are not equipped to advise on any medical complications, such as an ectopic pregnancy. They don't tell her that this is not a medical clinic at all. In fact, because it is not, this woman's privacy is not protected, and her information could be shared with the public. The real world of the crisis pregnancy centers is exemplified by an OB/GYN in Iowa, who has seen patients who visited these centers and were told that using contraceptives was the same as having an abortion. She has seen patients who suffered miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies because they were misdiagnosed by these anti-abortion centers. These women were told that their pregnancies were in the early stages or that they were experiencing normal amounts of pain because the staff members they saw were not actual, qualified medical professionals. As a result, these women ended up in the hospital, needing emergency care and surgery to save their lives. In Illinois, a woman seeking an abortion was deliberately misled by a fake clinic. She was subjected to graphic videos and told that having an abortion would make her infertile and, ultimately, mentally ill. Ultimately, she was coerced into carrying a pregnancy to term. After giving birth, she lost her job and health coverage, and the so-called clinic never offered real medical care or follow-up support. This is why the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have raised serious ethical and medical concerns about these clinics. Now, Republicans want to guarantee that taxpayer dollars through these TANF funds will fund these centers and that there will be no accountability for these dollars. Let's first be clear about what TANF is actually supposed to be for. TANF exists to help families experiencing poverty meet their most basic needs and stabilize their lives so parents can work and children can thrive. TANF was never intended to subsidize anti-abortion propaganda or unregulated sham clinics that endanger women's health. Yet, that is exactly what this bill does. Not only that, it goes beyond the regular TANF program, which requires reporting and accountability. Actually, this bill says that nothing shall be construed to restrict TANF funding for these centers, meaning that funding could not be taken away from them even if the center engages in deceptive practices or even causes a woman's death. {time} 1420 When the Ways and Means Committee marked up this bill last week, Democrats offered commonsense amendments that should have been uncontroversial to anyone who cares about women and families. We simply proposed that TANF funds not go to pregn

Referenced legislation: HRES1009, HRES1009, HR6945