Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to clarify that pregnancy centers can receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funding from states.

             “The House passage of HR 6945—the Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act—reaffirms the necessity of the critical, life-saving and life-enhancing services that pregnancy centers provide, and protects the rights of states to support and fund them,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), an original co-sponsor of the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN).

             “This legislation represents a critical step towards protecting and defending the vital work of pregnancy centers, which, since their inception, have been unfairly maligned, harassed, and discriminated against by radical, pro-abortion state and federal administrations.

             “Currently, there are more than 2,700 pregnancy centers operating throughout the United States—each and every one of them offering unparalleled compassion, respect, and care for both mothers and their precious children,” continued Smith, who, earlier this Congress, introduced the Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025 (HR 2226), which would prohibit federal, state and local governments from discriminating against pregnancy centers because of their life-affirming mission.

             “States have recognized the crucial gaps that pregnancy centers fill in providing quality care for pregnant women and families, including free-of-charge medical, material, and spiritual services and resources. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to immediately take up this vital legislation for a vote,” concluded Smith, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.

             During floor debate this afternoon, Smith delivered compelling remarks on the importance of HR 6945 and described how TANF funding will enable pregnancy centers to serve even more women and families in need through enhanced and expanded services.

             “Tragically, President Biden—the Abortion President—weaponized the entire federal bureaucracy to aggressively promote abortion on-demand, including misrepresenting the noble work of pregnancy resource centers. His administration proposed a rule to block pregnancy centers from receiving TANF funds,” he said on the floor.

             “We can’t allow that to happen. This important legislation would ensure that pregnancy centers cannot be excluded or restricted from receiving TANF funding as a result of discrimination from another hostile administration. In a pro-abortion culture of denial that dismisses unborn babies and trivializes the harm suffered by women, pregnancy centers affirm the breathtaking miracle of unborn life and the truth that women deserve better than abortion.”

             Smith also highlighted the experiences of three women whose lives were completely changed for the better after they sought assistance from pregnancy care centers:

             “At a New Jersey pregnancy center dinner, two women—through tears of joy—expressed their deep and abiding gratitude for the incredible love, respect, and care that persuaded them to reverse their decision to abort their babies.

             “They spoke of how desperate—even hopeless—they felt. They spoke of the pressure they felt to abort. Until they met the director of the pregnancy resource center, who reached out to both of them in a gentle and non-judgmental way. They chose life—and thanked God, the director, and the pregnancy resource center for helping them avert the loss of their babies’ lives.

             “Then, two teenaged girls took to the podium and spoke about their lives—school, sports, friends—and their reverence for the sanctity of all human life. Near the end of their remarks, they turned towards the director of the center and thanked her for being there for their moms through those difficult times, and they said that if she wasn’t there for them, ‘we’d be dead.’

             “These clinics are there for both mother and baby, before and after birth.

             “Consider the story of Jean Marie Davis, a mother and a survivor of human trafficking, who says her life was saved by a pregnancy care center. She says:        

             “‘…I was trafficked in 33 states…Even though I was losing weight from the drugs, my belly kept growing, and I soon discovered the pregnancy that would ultimately save my life…I literally ran away from the only life I had ever known. Fighting despair, and with only $1.38 to my name, I had very few places to turn.’

             “Jean Marie was connected with a woman named Phyllis at a local pregnancy center. She says:

             “‘The pregnancy center provided me with free resources and support to take care of my son. I was also able to realize and pursue dreams I had never imagined, such as earning a college degree…Years later, I applied for the executive director position of a pregnancy center in Vermont—Branches Pregnancy Resource Center…If it hadn’t been for Phyllis and the pregnancy center, I would be dead. They saved my life. My son saved my life. Now, it’s my turn to defend the very cause that saved me.’”

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