President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly said he would not sign a federal abortion ban, stating he prefers to leave the issue up to the states. But when he takes office in January, Trump’s cabinet will be able to implement sweeping anti-abortion policies and quickly reverse some protections that were put in place under President Joe Biden.
In practically every agency, cabinet secretaries are able to implement the president’s agenda for the employees of that agency and can set federal policies under their jurisdictions. Anti-abortion advocates say having allies in the cabinet will set the tone for abortion policies in the administration.
It is not unusual for agency policies to change when a new administration comes in or for a cabinet secretary to reverse the rules implemented by their predecessor. But Trump’s agency picks could make changes that would have nationwide implications on abortion access. (The Trump transition team did not respond to NOTUS’ request for comment on this story.)