Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said Sunday that he and most other Republicans are “open” to supporting former President Donald Trump's proposal to have the cost of in vitro fertilization services paid for by either the government or insurance companies.
“I'm open to it, and most Republicans are open to it,” Cotton said in an interview on NBC News' “Meet the Press,” adding that he would first have to “assess the fiscal implications” and consider “whether taxpayers can afford to pay for it, what impact it would have on health insurance premiums.”
“In principle, supporting couples who are trying IVF or other fertility treatments – I don't think that's controversial at all,” he added.
His comments came just days after Trump told NBC News that if he is elected, his administration will “require insurance companies to pay” for fertility treatments such as IVF.
When asked to elaborate on his plan in an interview, Trump said one option would be to force insurance companies to cover fertility treatments “under the law, yes.”
On Sunday, moderator Kristen Welker pressed Cotton about his support for Trump's plan, noting that he voted against it this year. Law on the right to IVF, which would make IVF coverage mandatory in federal health plans, the Affordable Care Act, and Medicaid plans.
Cotton criticized the bill, calling it “Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's ridiculous bill,” adding that Schumer, a New York Democrat, has spent the past several months “drawing up ridiculous bills that he thinks will help his liberal incumbent senators compete in elections.”
Despite voting against the IVF Rights Act in June, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that the GOP is not opposed to IVF procedures and that he would support an income-tested tax credit for Americans using fertility treatments.
“I would support a means-tested tax credit, like the one we have for children,” he is withhelp “It makes sense to me to encourage people to have children,” he told ABC News' “This Week.”
Asked where Trump's new support for government funding and mandatory insurance for IVF came from, even though only two Republicans voted for the IVF rights bill, Graham said Trump was simply “trying to show his support for IVF.”
However, Graham said he does not support Trump's proposal to force insurance companies to cover treatment costs “because there is no end to it.”
IVF is becoming an increasingly political issue as Democrats accuse Republicans of threatening access to fertility and reproductive care.
Fertility clinics across Alabama have suspended IVF services this year following a state Supreme Court ruling. ruled that embryos are peoplewhich has raised concerns among reproductive rights groups that abortion bans in Republican-controlled states could impact other types of reproductive care in those states.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com