It's "dangerous" for the Department of Justice to threaten an appeal of a Texas-based federal judge's ruling to halt access to the abortion pill mifepristone, but House Republicans, who have the "power of the purse," will fight back, Rep. Tony Gonzales said Sunday.
"If the administration wants to not live up to this ruling, then we're going to have a problem," the Texas Republican said on CNN's "State of the Union." "It may come to a point where House Republicans on the appropriation side have to defund FDA programs that don't make sense."
Gonzales, the father of six children, described himself as a "prolific pro-lifer," and said Texas and other states have the right to dictate their futures.
And even with the ruling on the pill coming from a federal judge, Gonzales said the states "started this," but now the federal government is dictating its own agenda.
"We have to get back and allow our institutions to lead," he said. "We can't undermine them when we don't agree with things that are there, whether it's on the state level."
Gonzales pointed out that marijuana isn't legal in Texas like it is in California and other places.
"If those are the kind of things that your community wants, then work it through your state, work it through the federal level," Gonzales said. "But we have to uphold our institutions. It's dangerous when we erode them."
Show host Dana Bash pointed out that mifepristone is also frequently prescribed for women experiencing a miscarriage, but Gonzales said that he thinks it's important that there are "real discussions" on women's healthcare other than abortion.
"Let's have those real conversations, and let's talk about — let's talk about the other things that are happening in this world," he said.
Gonzales further said the news about former President Donald Trump's arraignment in New York City is another distraction.
"It's like watching a novella, a Spanish soap opera," he said. "You can't look away. I get it. I want to know what Trump had for breakfast just as much as the next person. But in my district, we have real problems."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.