In the News

A group of Republican congressmen has sent a letter to the chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives, urging the office to terminate the House’s contract with banking giant Citigroup. The letter came on the heels of Citigroup’s announcement that it will cover travel expenses for employees who travel out of state for an abortion.

Citi is the sole financial institution that the House uses to manage credit cards for House offices, paying for flights, supplies, and other goods — and these Republicans want to terminate the House’s relationship with the company in light of its financial support for abortion. More than 40 Republican members signed the letter, which was spearheaded by Louisiana representative Mike Johnson, who is also vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.

“By choosing to underwrite travel to abortions for its employees, Citi has explicitly staked out its position to advance the liberal agenda of abortion on demand and has shown no regard for whether a particular state’s laws are in place to protect the safety of a woman and her child,” the letter reads.

“This is an unfortunate move by Citi that will lead to the circumvention of state laws and unfettered access to elective abortions,” the congressmen continue. “It has long been the policy of our legislative branch of government that taxpayer dollars not be used to fund abortion. By offering to pay its employees in their efforts to terminate the lives of the unborn, Citi has forfeited its privilege of doing business with the House of Representatives.”

The letter concludes by asking the chief administrative officer “to immediately terminate the House’s existing contracts with Citigroup, Inc. and refrain from entering into any new contractual agreements with the company.”