Nancy Pelosi learned well from Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel: she wasn’t about to let the coronavirus crisis go to waste. So early on Saturday morning, with House Speaker Pelosi at the helm, the House passed a bill to buoy up the economy. Earlier she and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin intensely negotiated this measure.

The bill passed 363-40, and insures that workers can take paid leave, increases unemployment insurance, and provides for free coronavirus testing.

President Trump also tweeted his support of the FamiliesFirst Coronavirus Response Act.

I fully support H.R. 6201: Families First CoronaVirus Response Act, which will be voted on in the House this evening. This Bill will follow my direction for free CoronaVirus tests, and paid sick leave for our impacted American workers. I have directed….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2020

After the bill passed, Nancy Pelosi took to the microphone to crow how the measure is all about “testing, testing, testing.” Plus, she said, it helps families with finances. And of course, it protects the children, since many get their nutrition in schools.

Of course, Nancy is all about caring for “the children.” That is, unless it’s about unborn children. Then it’s Katie-Bar-the-Door.

That’s because while Nancy and the Dems were working on the FamiliesFirst Act, they were also trying to gut the Hyde Amendment. And what does this amendment do?

It prevents federal funding of abortion. So that you and I don’t pay for them through our tax dollars. But Hyde is not a law, but a rider which lawmakers attach to a bill and must renew each year.

Now what does abortion have to do with fighting a virus? Absolutely nothing, of course. But Nancy Pelosi channeled her spirit animal Rahm Emmanuel. She wasn’t about to let this crisis go to waste.

Here’s how Pelosi’s sleight-of-hand would’ve worked to undermine Hyde:

Because “testing, testing, and testing” would require the federal government reimbursing laboratories to the tune of up to $1 billion. Hence, all health claims — including abortion — could be reimbursed with federal dollars. Hyde protections were not added into the bill. As one White House official put it:

“A new mandatory funding stream that does not have Hyde protections would be unprecedented. Under the guise of protecting people, Speaker Pelosi is working to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent covering abortion — which is not only backwards, but goes against historical norms.”

Credit: DNAlegal.com/flickr/CC BY 2.0.

Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse had words:

“While schools are closing and hospitals are gearing up, Speaker Pelosi is waging unnecessary culture wars. Speaker Pelosi should be fighting the coronavirus pandemic, not politicizing emergency funding by fighting against the bipartisan Hyde Amendment. We need to be ramping up our diagnostic testing, not waging culture wars at the behest of Planned Parenthood.” 

Naturally, progressive media pushed back. There’s nothing here! shouted Media Matters. It’s just “right-wing media and abortion opponents” who are trying to “hype misinformation.” Besides providing a list of conservative voices who sounded the alarm about the bill, MM quoted the equally-leftist American Independent website:

“There is absolutely no evidence that the funding the Democratic bill calls for would go toward abortion.”

No evidence. Right. But while Nancy Pelosi may look vapid, she’s as wily as a snake. Plus, you know that Planned Parenthood would just love to get their bloody hands on some of the cool $1 billion. Because “women’s health care,” of course. And don’t you think that PP lobbyists would try to glom onto those federal bucks for their client?

However, the good news is that after a day of horse-trading on FamiliesFirst, Pelosi and Mnuchin agreed to a bill that was free from abortion moneys.

Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Dems will never let a crisis go to waste. And Republicans should learn this and live this, especially in this election year.

Welcome, Instapundit readers!

Featured image: Joel Barbee/cropped/CC BY-ND 2.0.