House Dems 'sharpening their knives' as GOP threatens government shut down over abortion pill

Voters in multiple swing states have repeatedly shown that they are not in favor of slapping harsh restrictions on abortion rights -- and now the party could potentially be plunging headfirst into a fight over access to abortion medication that could culminate in a government shutdown.

The Daily Beast reports that vulnerable swing-district Republicans are balking at GOP hardliners' insistence on including a resolution in a government funding bill that would rescind federal guidance allowing the abortion medication mifepristone to be sent by mail.

The Beast's report notes that New York Republican Reps. Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Anthony D’Esposito have all come out against the proposal, and there are at least a dozen Republicans in total who have been pressing House leadership to drop it.

With both sides of the issue dug in, sources tell The Daily Beast that a government shutdown over the matter will "probably" come this fall, which is leading to House Democrats "sharpening their knives," as evidenced by a joint statement released by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Barbara Lee (D-CA).

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"Hijacking these critical funding bills to try to sneak through an extreme anti-abortion agenda that a vast majority of Americans oppose is reprehensible," said the two Democrats, who are co-chairs of the House pro-choice caucus. "House Republicans should be ashamed of themselves."