Obama confidant questions Biden's 'steadiness' after abortion 'flip-flop-flip'

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Joe Biden reverses course on Hyde Amendment, drops opposition to federal funds for abortions

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden had previously expressed support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to subsidize abortions except for cases of rape, incest or when a woman's life is endangered by a fetus; Doug McKelway reports from Washington.

Former Vice President Joe Biden's decision to change his position on the Hyde Amendment during the 2020 election cycle raised questions about the frontrunner's "steadiness" and "performance."

That was the claim from David Axelrod, a top adviser and strategist to former President Barack Obama -- Biden's running mate. His comments came as the former vice president appeared to change his mind twice on the controversial amendment blocking federal funding for most abortions.

Biden initially appeared to tell an activist that he wanted to repeal Hyde but his campaign later clarified that he supported the measure -- as he did in the preceding decades. His campaign claimed that Biden misheard the initial question, construing it as a reference to the Mexico City Policy.

Amid uproar within his own party, Biden said on Thursday that he no longer supported Hyde. "I make no apologies for my last position and I make no apologies for what I'm about to say," he said during an event in Atlanta.

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"I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right."

For Axelrod, that showed Biden engaging in a "flip-flop-flip." "So, that was a flip-flop-flip which is never a good thing in politics and it raises questions about his own performance and his own steadiness and his campaign's performance," Axelrod said.

The 2020 frontrunner also faced backlash from Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a long-shot candidate for president.

“Bravo to @JoeBiden for doing the right thing and reversing his longstanding support for the Hyde Amendment," Moulton tweeted on Friday.

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"It takes courage to admit when you’re wrong, especially when those decisions affect millions of people. Now do the Iraq War,” he added.

Biden and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton both voted for the Iraq War under former President George W. Bush's administration.