Senate Confirms Todd Blanche as Attorney General, He Plans to End Mail-Order Abortions
The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a 50-49 vote early Saturday, clearing the path for the Trump administration to implement policies stopping the mailing of abortion drugs into states that protect unborn children.
Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April after President Donald Trump dismissed Pam Bondi, told Christian leaders in a private call hosted by the White House Faith Office that the Justice Department is working with federal health agencies, the White House and Trump’s team on “permanent solutions” to make the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision strong in every state.
The largely party-line confirmation followed weeks of Republican negotiations.
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Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both of whom are pro-abortion, cast the only Republican no votes. Collins cited Blanche’s commitment to prohibit the mailing of abortion pills among her reasons for opposing, while Murkowski referenced statements made to anti-abortion groups.
Every Democrat opposed the nomination. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona was absent due to a family emergency, and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky did not vote, though it is expected he would have supported Blanche while Gallego would have voted against confirmation.
Pro-life organizations have strongly backed Blanche’s confirmation.
Americans United for Life endorsed him, stating in a letter to the committee: “Mr. Blanche’s confirmation as Attorney General would advance the cause of respect for human life in the United States. Through his statements and actions as Acting Attorney General, Mr. Blanche has shown himself to be a sincere advocate for human life and a faithful servant of President Trump’s pro-life agenda.”
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, said: “Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has committed himself to extending protections for life to the letter of the law. We urge members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to swiftly advance the nomination of Mr. Blanche before the full Senate and allow him to continue his service to the nation as Attorney General of the United States.”
Blanche told Christian leaders in a recent call that the Trump administration is putting practices and policies in place to stop other states and abortion organizations from mailing abortion drugs into states that protect unborn children.
He says the Trump administration is working to make the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision permanent in every state.
In a private call last week hosted by the White House Faith Office, Blanche said the Department of Justice is collaborating with federal health agencies, the White House and President Trump’s team on “permanent solutions.”
“If states have said, ‘We are going to protect the unborn and we’re going to protect every life from the moment of conception,’ we’re putting practices and policies in place so that other states and other organizations can’t attack that,” Blanche said. “They can’t do things like they’re doing with mailing in mail-order drugs.”
He told the group “we don’t have complete victory yet,” but added, “We will have victory, and victory will be soon, and … it will be permanent.”
A coalition of 83 state and national pro-life groups, led by SBA Pro-Life America, previously urged Blanche to settle the Louisiana v. FDA lawsuit through a court-ordered consent decree that would end the mail-order distribution of abortion drugs while the FDA completes a safety review.
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said the FDA’s mail-order abortion drug regime is “indefensible on science and the law” and called on the Department of Justice to end its defense of the policy.
In a statement after the vote, she told LifeNews:
“During Acting Attorney Blanche’s hearing, a majority of senators on the Judiciary Committee pressed him on abortion drugs, uncomfortable with the continuation of Biden’s illegal mail-order abortion drug regime and the Department of Justice’s opposition in court to pro-life states challenging the scheme. Acting AG Blanche was right when he said, ‘We very much believe the Biden rules were wrong.’ We thank pro-life senators for questioning Acting AG Blanche, and urge the Acting AG to swiftly settle the case with Louisiana and abortion drug coercion survivor Rosalie Markezich to immediately get abortion drugs out of the mail while the FDA’s safety study continues.”
