Sen. Tammy Duckworth is taking the unorthodox step of asking Donald Trump to wade into a legislative debate before he becomes president, urging him to support her proposal to expand coverage for in vitro fertilization for military personnel.
Duckworth, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, penned a letter to the president-elect, obtained by POLITICO, encouraging him to endorse provisions in the annual defense policy bill that would expand TRICARE coverage for IVF and other fertility services for military families.
Access to IVF became a hot-button issue during the 2024 campaign, following a ruling by Alabama’s Supreme Court this year that frozen embryos should be considered people. While Democrats sought to use the ruling against Republicans, Trump pledged on the campaign trail that insurance or the government would cover the cost of IVF.
Duckworth noted Trump’s promise and urged him to send “a clear and simple declaration of your support for preserving” the expanded coverage of IVF in a final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which is still being negotiated by congressional leaders.
“He made a promise,” Duckworth said of Trump in an interview. “I was super excited when he made that campaign promise.”
Both House and Senate versions of the NDAA include provisions, adopted with bipartisan support, that would make IVF and other fertility coverage on par with what members of Congress and federal employees receive from government marketplaces.
Still, Duckworth raised the spectre that some Republicans could push to strip the provisions, writing to Trump that many GOP lawmakers “publicly dismissed your campaign promise” on IVF. The Illinois Democrat argues conservatives would undermine Trump’s agenda in doing so.
“As the leader of the Republican Party, it would be appropriate for you to exercise your influence to prevent Congressional Republicans from undermining your ability to govern by your own ‘promises made, promises kept’ motto before your second term even begins,” Duckworth wrote.
Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Provisions included in both House and Senate bills, particularly with bipartisan support, are often seen as highly likely to be adopted in a compromise bill. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) secured the IVF coverage proposal in the House-passed defense bill.
Some hard-right Republicans have opposed expanding IVF coverage, though. Republicans split on Trump’s call for full coverage of IVF costs during the campaign.
Conservative Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) and Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) wrote to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees urging them to drop IVF-expansion provisions, arguing the treatment “leads to the destruction of innocent human life.” But it’s unclear if hard-right lawmakers will have much influence over a bill that needs bipartisan support to pass.
Negotiators are aiming to roll out a compromise version of the NDAA, which outlines the nearly $900 billion national defense budget and prescribes Pentagon policy, as early as this week as they seek to meet a year-end deadline to enact the bill.