Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) appeared on CNN News Central to discuss the upcoming Senate vote on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and President Donald Trump's pro-family policies.

Hagerty commented on the Senate IVF vote, stating, "I think it [the vote count] certainly will mirror what we saw in June. This is just a 'show vote.' It’s just [Senator] Chuck Schumer’s attempt to bring an issue back to the fore that’s not an issue [...] And it’s not just about IVF. This goes much further into gene editing, and into cloning. Chuck Schumer designed this to fail, but what he’s trying to do is put this [made-up controversy] back in front of the American public, so he can avoid talking about the issues that really do matter to Americans."

Regarding President Trump’s stance on IVF, Hagerty said, "What President Trump has done is what every single U.S. Senator has done on the Republican side. We support IVF, we have supported IVF, and President Trump wants to take it even further. I think families looking at their ability to access and afford IVF will find, under a Trump Administration, that they’ll be even in a better place to do that from an affordability standpoint because President Trump wants to make certain that whether it’s covered under private insurance or public domain, that it will be taken care of."

Hagerty also criticized Schumer's bill: "The aspect that goes too far for me, though, is the notion that we would vote for something that would include cloning and gene editing, which is what Chuck Schumer plans to put on the floor this afternoon. Again, Schumer knows it’s going to fail. He’s just trying to shift the narrative away from the fact that 67 percent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. We should be talking about immigration, the economy, our national security, our border security. Instead, we’re doing this? [...] I think what those voters and what every voter wants to see across America is the fact that we do support IVF. Every Republican senator has made that clear [...] This is not illegal in any state of America. Chuck Schumer’s just trying to change the narrative [...] On this issue I’m clear [...] this is something that is not needed and is a solution in search of a problem because IVF is legal in every state."

Addressing Alabama's recent ruling on IVF: "With respect to what happened in Alabama," Hagerty noted,"we also saw a State Legislature step up and move very quickly to address some uncertainty created by a court decision [...] I think they tried to do it and address it as quickly as they possibly could."

On Trump's proposed payment plan for IVF: "I commit to taking a look at the details," Hagerty stated."I serve on the Appropriations Committee, and I will certainly pursue that responsibly. I understand the direction and content [...] We’re not talking about our border security [...]. Again Chuck Schumer's going to put a 'show vote' up today [...] This...is just another irresponsible ploy."

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