US President Joe Biden pledged to veto any attempts by Republicans to impose a national abortion ban should the GOP retake control of Congress. The pledge comes as the midterm elections in November would determine which party holds the majorities in the House and the Senate.
In an interview with MSNBC Friday last week, Biden was pressed on what he plans to do for abortion rights should Republicans regain control of one or both chambers of Congress.
Biden said he would use his veto powers as Republicans will have to pass legislation implementing a nationwide ban on the procedure, and the legislation must be signed by the president into law.
“Veto anything they do,” said Biden.
“The president has to sign it. I’ll veto it,” said Biden.
Biden’s response follows his pledge during the week in an effort to mobilize the Democratic base that he will codify the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed the right to an abortion should the Democratic Party maintain control of Congress. Democrats are at risk of losing both the House and the Senate to Republicans.
The US leader said at the time that should the country elect more Democratic Senators and hold the majority in the House, the first legislation he intends to sign into law would be to codify abortion rights, which most members of the party support.
The Conservative-majority Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in June, resulting in public outrage and condemnation from Biden and the administration. The issue has also been met with optimism among Democrats that voters would decide on abortion rights in the November midterms.
Biden also expressed optimism last week that the coming midterms would see the Democratic Party maintain its control of Congress. The US leader said the recent legislative achievements by the party and the current economic trends would see the Democrats keeping their control of Congress following the midterm elections.
“The polls have been all over the place,” Biden told reporters at the White House after talking about the US budget deficit. “I think that we’re going to see one more shift back to our side in the closing days.”
The US leader added that the “good news” on the economy included a drop in gas prices in 46 out of 50 states and record-low unemployment rates.