CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Friday asked Representative Nancy Mace (RS.C.) why she had called on her fellow Republicans to “stop being assholes to women,” while also support a House amendment to block a Department of Defense abortion policy.
Earlier that day, the chamber passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 with an amendment that would reverse the Pentagon’s policy that reimburses travel expenses to military personnel stationed in states that prohibit abortion but wish to receive the procedure. A compromise on the final legislation is expected after the Senate passed its own version of the bill.
Mace, who voted for the NDAA in the House, on Thursday had sent a blunt message to her party about the amendment.
“If we want to show America that we can come together and that we care about women, we have to stop being assholes to women,” she said. told CNN’s Manu Raju. “We need to stop focusing on women and do the things that really make a difference.”
On an airing of “The Source,” Collins asked Mace about her voice.
‘You said yesterday – and I quote you now – that your party should ‘stop being assholes to women’. So, why did you vote for this today? asked the CNN anchor.
“I want to be consistent about military policy and whether travel – because this is very specific to travel. The military does not pay for abortion services at all. But this was strictly related to travel,” replied Mace, who previously warned that her party will suffer in 2024 because of its support for strict abortion policies.
“And the military does not reimburse travel expenses for elected procedures in any other case. I did not like the idea of this amendment. These are not issues that I think we should be voting on now without thinking about what we can do to protect women and show that we are pro-women, which has been my frustration for most of the past seven months . ”
Collins later asked if Mace thinks it is “fair” that a service worker in New York State has “more access to abortion services and reproductive health options” than a service worker in Texas, who would have to travel to receive such care.
“Nothing here would prohibit a woman from traveling out of state to follow state law,” Mace said, referring to the legislation.
“Nothing would stop her from being able to do that. There are no limits to her travels.
Watch Collins’ discussion with Mace below: