CUT OFF

Florida GOP Vows to Defund Entire City If It Pays for Abortion Travel

St. Petersburg may soon lose its state funding if it follows through with its proposal.

Republican lawmakers in Florida are threatening to cut off funding to one of the state’s biggest cities if it doesn’t drop a proposal to assist residents to travel to receive abortions. City council members in St. Petersburg have proposed giving $50,000 to the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund, which the opposing state representatives called “unlawful” and “wasteful” in a letter to the council this week. “The City obviously has no need for any further funding from Florida taxpayers if the City intends to spend money in violation of state law,” the letter read. The move to possibly fund abortion travel, which council members still have to vote on, comes as state Republicans are quickly pushing through legislation that would ban abortions after just six weeks, when many people still don’t know they're pregnant, essentially making it a total ban. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has already indicated he’d cheerfully sign that bill into effect if passed.