House Republicans Told Not to Promote March for Life from Official Accounts

Friday, House Republican communication staffers were told not to use official U.S. House of Representatives accounts to promote the pro-life March for Life currently underway in Washington, D.C.

The advisory was sent out by House Republican Conference telling members an early email with promotional March for Life materials was in violation of House rules per the Democratic Party-controlled Franking Commission.

Hi all —

Please disregard the March for Life materials sent out yesterday. After consulting with the Franking Commission, we would like to share updated materials for Friday. Per franking rules, all member office communications must be focused on our pro-life agenda, without mention of the event or organization.

The email goes on to offer members some acceptable imagery for use in their correspondence.

Members’ Congressional Handbook regulations prohibit 3 main types of content on websites and social media:

• Campaign activity
• Grassroots lobbying activity – this prohibition includes mentions of rallies/protests including the March for Life
• Promotion/Endorsement of private entities – this includes any promotional language for private charities, including the March for Life

Members are permitted to talk about their official activities on pro-life issues:

• Any pro-life legislation they sponsor/support
• Meetings that they take with constituents who are in town to discuss pro-life issues (as long as there is no specific mention of them being here for the March)
• Highlight the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and discuss position on that and official efforts to change it in the future
• Floor activity in support of the pro-life position (as long as there are no specific mentions of the March)

For any questions on specific language feel free to contact the Franking Commission at x60647 and our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience.

One long-time House Republican staffer told Breitbart News that he had never seen anything like this, with the one possible exception being a warning about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge a few years back.

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor