President Joe Biden on Monday stepped back from his promise to codify Roe v. Wade after the midterm elections, telling reporters that he does not believe “there’s enough votes” with Republicans likely to control the House.
Addressing the media in Indonesia after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden was asked by NBC’s Peter Alexander what voters should expect concerning “abortion rights after the midterms.”
The president noted he was only supposed to answer four questions, and Alexander’s was number five. This White House is noteworthy for avoiding answering direct questions from reporters, having gone for months without an actual press conference with Biden facing the media.
Still, he responded by saying “I don’t think they can expect much of anything other than we’re going to maintain our positions.”
Biden admits Democrats won't be able to codify Roe v. Wade: 'I don't think there's enough votes' https://t.co/NsrWPxRrmc
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 14, 2022
Biden added that unless something “unusual” occurs in the House, he does not anticipate Democrats having the votes to codify the legality of abortion. He said the final tally will be close “but I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
On Monday, after Biden’s remarks in Indonesia, NBC News projected Republicans will control 219 House seats and the Democrats 216.
In October, Biden pledged that codifying Roe v. Wade would be his first act if his party swept the House and the Senate in the midterm elections. Not only would it be the first bill he sent to the new Congress, but he’d sign it in January to mark 50 years since the 1973 Supreme Court decision.
His commitment ignored the fact that Democrats would have needed 60 Senate seats to overcome the certain Republican filibuster.
In June, the high court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the Constitution does not confer the right to an abortion. The case involved Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act, which banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Therefore, the decision on the legality of the procedure is left up to the states.
Violence and protests erupted when the decision was announced, and there was even an attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home. The armed assailant was stopped outside of the residence.
