Manchin snarls top VA nominee over abortion

Key Facts

Sen. Joe Manchin has joined Republicans on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in blocking Anjali Chaturvedi, a top Department of Justice lawyer.
Va.) has joined Republicans on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in blocking Anjali Chaturvedi, a top Department of Justice lawyer, over the agency’s policy allowing it to provide abortion counseling and some abortions.
But Manchin and Republicans cite federal laws, including a 1992 law that prohibits the government from providing abortion care for military veterans, to say the agency has overstepped its authority.
“Senator Manchin [has] made clear that the VA’s current abortion policy is a blatant violation of federal law and he continues to urge the Administration to restore the commonsense protections we’ve had in place for decades to ensure federal dollars cannot be used to fund abortions,” the spokesperson said.