Vice President Pence Speaks to Politically Conservative Catholics
At the annual national Catholic Prayer Breakfast, held this June, Vice President Michael Pence spoke on behalf of the Trump administration. Asserting that “life is winning,” he received an ovation for his assurances that President Trump was an ally to “American Catholics.” Throughout his speech, the vice president touched on a number of issues critical to religious liberty. He claimed executive support for those “persecuted for their faith around the world.” He stressed that President Trump “believes that no American should have to violate their conscience to fully participate in American life,” before describing the Little Sisters of the Poor and the recent religious freedom executive order penned by the White House. The audience cheered when he reminded them that President Trump has “empowered states to withhold federal funding from abortion providers”—something already the law under the Hyde Amendment—and expressed pride at casting the tie-breaking vote in the US Senate for a bill that would allow states to defund Planned Parenthood.