Vance pledges anti-abortion policies after White House deemed soft [View all]
Source: Roll Call
Posted January 23, 2026 at 4:10pm
Thousands of marchers descended on the National Mall Friday as some of the nation’s most powerful politicians pledged to take the next steps to ending abortion. The annual March for Life rally serves as a key jumping point for abortion-related policy announcements from conservatives. But anti-abortion advocates had warned that the Trump administration has not done enough to advance their cause and that could have political ramifications.
On Friday, the White House doubled down on its support for anti-abortion priorities, with Vice President JD Vance acknowledging the “elephant in the room” that “our politics have failed to answer the clarion call to life that this march represents.”
“So let me tell you something very simple, under this administration … you have an ally in the White House,” he told the crowd, his presence a nod to this year’s theme, “Life is a Gift.” Earlier this week he and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, announced they are expecting their fourth child in July.
Vance and others highlighted a number of changes implemented in year since the last march, where Vance made his first public speech as vice president. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for example, pointed to House passage of two pregnancy-related bills this week that seek to uplift pregnancy information resources as an alternative to abortion. Johnson also noted last year’s defunding of Planned Parenthood through the GOP reconciliation law.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/01/23/vance-pledges-anti-abortion-policies-after-white-house-deemed-soft/
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