WASHINGTON, D.C., May 22, 2025 —Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, praises the House of Representatives’ vote to pass a Reconciliation Budget Bill by a 215-214 vote. If signed into law, this bill would defund the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, and any related entities, while also putting an end to transgender interventions, enacting a pro-family Child Tax Credit, enhancing the Adoption Tax Credit, and benefiting Christian nonprofits through a more generous charitable deduction framework:
Leatherwood commented on today’s vote:
“It’s good to see Congress still listens. Tens of thousands of Southern Baptists, believers, and pro-life Americans joined with us to call for the defunding of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry. The U.S. House, under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson, responded. I am grateful for that. We expect the Senate to do the same.
“Southern Baptists affirm the sanctity of every human life, including the preborn. Scripture testifies that every person is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and that life begins at conception (Psa. 139:13-16). The Baptist Faith and Message proclaims that children, from the moment of conception, are ‘a blessing and heritage from the Lord.’ Grounded in these biblical truths, we can recognize today’s action out of the House of Representatives as cause for celebration.
“Passage of this bill is a significant step toward establishing a true culture of life in America. Because this effort isn’t just about saving tax dollars, it’s about who we are morally as a nation. Preborn lives and families are at stake. Cutting off the hundreds of millions of dollars that flow to predatory organizations like Planned Parenthood will be a gut punch to the abortion industry.
“I should also note our other priorities that were included in this legislation. An expanded Child Tax Credit, a refundable Adoption Tax Credit, the removal of taxpayer funding for radical gender transition interventions, and improvements to charitable giving all made it into this bill. These items were all part of our legislative priorities that we provided to Congress. I appreciate the diligent work of the House on this bill and the substantial steps taken in these areas.”
In January, Leatherwood released the ERLC’s 2025 Public Policy Agenda. The following ERLC 2025 Public Policy Agenda priorities were included in the Reconciliation Budget Bill:
- Defund Planned Parenthood: Abortion providers are listed as prohibited entities that cannot receive federal payments, including Medicaid reimbursements. This prohibition extends to all successors and related entities in the industry, decisively ensuring that funds can’t be funnelled to abortion providers.
- Child Tax Credit: The amount of the full child tax credit would increase to $2,500 per child through 2028. After 2028, the full child tax credit would drop to $2,000 but be indexed to inflation.
- Adoption Tax Credit: Refundability language was included in the final bill, and the credit amount will be adjusted for inflation.
- Charitable giving: The bill included a partial deduction for charitable contributions of individuals who don’t elect to itemize (up to $150 for single filers and $300 for joint filers through 2028).
- Defund Gender Transition Procedures: This bill includes a prohibition of the use of taxpayer dollars on gender transition procedures for both minors and adults.
In January, ERLC Policy Staff also released the ERLC’s Priorities for Budget Reconciliation which included four policy priorities that passed in today’s bill. The ERLC has actively advocated for these policies this year through meetings on Capitol Hill and with the Trump Administration. In February, Leatherwood urged House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie and Ranking Member Frank Pallone to use the reconciliation process to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund Planned Parenthood. He also wrote a national op-ed highlighting Planned Parenthood’s heinous activity and implored lawmakers to defund the organization. This spring, the ERLC has led SBC leaders and pastors in calling on legislators to take concrete steps in writing a reconciliation bill that would strip Planned Parenthood and abortion providers of all federal funding. Since the launch of the ERLC’s campaign to defund Planned Parenthood, more than 30,000 people have signed on, adding their voices to call on Congress to take steps to stop taxpayer funding of abortion procedures.
