Trump Urges GOP To Be 'Flexible' On Hyde Amendment To Secure Health-Care Deal

President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged House Republicans to show "a little flexibility" on the Hyde Amendment — the roughly 50-year-old federal restriction that bars most government-funded abortions — as part of efforts to clinch a health-care agreement amid ongoing talks over Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Speaking to House Republicans gathered in Washington for a caucus retreat ahead of the midterm election year, Trump pitched a plan to convert premium subsidies for ACA plans into direct payments to individuals that could be used for a range of health-care expenses, including insurance premiums. The enhanced ACA subsidies expired on Dec. 31, 2025, contributing to sharp premium increases for millions of people.

“You have to be a little flexible. You gotta be a little flexible. You gotta work something. You gotta use ingenuity,”

With that appeal, Trump — who supported abortion rights before entering politics in 2015 — appeared to ask conservatives to relax a long-standing GOP position tying abortion restrictions to federal spending rules. At the same time, his comments acknowledged that Democrats currently hold leverage in health-care negotiations after Republicans allowed the enhanced subsidies to lapse.

Policy Stakes and Pushback

Some Democrats are pressing to eliminate the Hyde restriction as part of any deal to restore subsidies. Hyde, first introduced in 1976 by the late Rep. Henry Hyde, initially applied to Medicaid and has barred federal funds from paying for most abortions except when the woman's life is in danger or the pregnancy results from rape or incest. For decades, Congress typically renewed Hyde language as part of must-pass spending bills.

President Donald Trump walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

But Trump’s suggestion encountered strong resistance from influential conservative groups and factions of the GOP base that insist on uncompromising limits to federal funding for abortion. Americans United for Life, a prominent anti-abortion advocacy organization, argued in an op-ed this week that Republicans should not abandon Hyde if they want to maintain base support for the party.

GOP leaders face a difficult trade-off: accept flexibility on Hyde to secure a negotiated rescue of ACA subsidies and blunt premium spikes, or hold firm and risk being blamed for higher costs and a stalled compromise. Trump framed the choice as an opportunity for Republicans to win an issue politically if they can find a workable path forward.

Political Context

The broader anti-abortion movement was initially skeptical of Trump in 2015-2016, but his presidency aligned him with core elements of the Republican coalition, notably through Supreme Court appointments that contributed to the 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The debate over Hyde underscores how health-care policy, fiscal rules and abortion politics remain deeply intertwined in current congressional negotiations.

As talks on Capitol Hill continue, both parties will weigh political and policy consequences: Democrats pressing to end Hyde as part of subsidy restoration, and Republicans balancing base concerns against the practical politics of easing premium burdens on voters ahead of midterms.