White House officials have spent recent days asking some prominent pro-life groups to hold off on wading into the tense ongoing debate around Affordable Care Act subsidies, preferring instead that the groups keep their concerns about the subsidization of abortion coverage private as Republicans navigate a path forward on a particularly fractious issue.

One prominent pro-life leader who received a phone call from administration officials was left with the impression that the White House wants breathing room to negotiate with Democrats, who may be spooked from the negotiating table if Republicans kickstart talks with abortion-related concerns as the top priority in a prospective bipartisan health care plan.

Another pro-life advocate was told by administration officials that it's far from clear that a Trump-endorsed health-care proposal would gain Democratic support anyway, and White House officials would prefer that the package's failure be attributed to Democratic opposition rather than conservative infighting over the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being spent on abortion. The groups requested anonymity to speak freely about their dealings with the White House as negotiations unfold.

The messaging guidance urging some pro-life advocates to stay quiet in this week's ACA subsidy debate is the latest sign that the White House is looking to tamp down public conservative concern over a sensitive policy issue at a critical time when Republicans are discussing how, or even whether, a bipartisan health-care package is the best legislative path forward.

The White House did not respond to National Review’s request for comment about administration officials’ recent outreach to pro-life groups.

While most congressional Republicans are wary of supporting even a reformed ACA subsidy extension with reforms, there's widespread agreement that nixing or weakening Hyde protections would prompt major pushback from pro-life lawmakers. The challenge for Republicans, of course, is finding a proposal that won't alienate Democrats, for whom Hyde Amendment concerns aren't a top priority.

As hardline anti-Obamacare conservatives point out, Republicans are under no obligation to do anything to save Obamacare subsidies which were passed — and then extended — by Democrats and are set to expire at the end of the year. But many Republicans, particularly those in swing states and districts, are wary of the impact that increased health care costs will have on their midterm prospects.

In exchange for Democratic support for a government funding bill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) promised Democrats that he'd hold a floor vote on legislation to extend the subsidies by mid-December. That pledge to bring a bill to the floor did not include a promise by Thune that there would be sufficient Republican support to get any legislative language across the finish line. And according to the Wall Street Journal, Johnson has reportedly warned Trump officials that most House Republicans are adamantly opposed to extending the enhanced subsidies, which are scheduled to sunset on December 31.

Given how difficult it will be to get Democratic support for any health-care related legislation, it’s possible that the administration pursues a Republican-drafted bill through the budget reconciliation process, which only requires a simple majority in the Senate rather than the typical 60-vote threshold for passing legislation.

Hyde Amendment concerns will be a major factor in any health care talks. In a September 3 letter, dozens of pro-life groups warned Republicans that any future legislative efforts to fund Obamacare, "whether through cost-sharing reductions or premium tax credits, is forced taxpayer funding of abortion – unless such funds are definitively limited to coverage that excludes elective abortion."

Given the sensitive nature of the health-care debate in Washington this week, some pro-life advocates who are being contacted by administration officials are agreeing to stay quiet to help the White House negotiate. "I don’t want to make a big stink, because I actually do believe the administration is trying to do the right thing" regarding Hyde protections, said the head of one prominent pro-life organization who received a White House call this week. "I really think that that is the case, until I hear otherwise."

However, this person cautioned that silence won't last long if administration officials signal that they're willing to weaken Hyde protections in exchange for Democratic support. "Everyone knows that if they cross that red line and Hyde is part of this negotiation, that that’s going to be demonstrably, very destructive to the Trump alliance" with pro-life advocates, this person said. “I can’t imagine the destruction that would be caused in the Republican Party if they moved on from Hyde.”

Some pro-life groups believe that the onus is on Democrats to not alienate Republicans as negotiations continue. "The Obama administration specifically wrote the ACA as a workaround to try to get around the Hyde Amendment. And so whatever happens, we need to close that loophole," says Penny Nance, CEO and president of the pro-life advocacy group Concerned Women for America.

Nance says she hasn't spoken with the White House this week about the subsidies, but she insists that congressional Democrats will be to blame if any subsidy extension legislative language they propose weakens Hyde protections for Obamacare plans. "Really, I think it comes down to whether or not the Democrats want the subsidies to pass or not," she said. "They can poison it if they want to."

White House officials have reportedly spent recent days privately floating a raft of health-care focused legislative proposals to skirt premium hikes, such as a temporary extension of the subsidies with income caps and a proposal involving tax-advantaged savings accounts for lower premium plans, according to news reports which began leaking Sunday. No Trump-endorsed proposal had been announced as of Wednesday.

Trump, for his part, left the door open this week to extending the subsidies, even as he acknowledged that he’d rather let them expire as he weighs the legislative paths forward. “Some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done, because the unaffordable care act has been a disaster,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.

“Somebody said I wanna extend them for two years. I don't want to extend them for two years. I'd rather not extend them at all,” Trump added. “I like my plan the best. Don't give any money to the insurance companies. Give it to the people directly, let them go out, buy their own health care plan. We're looking at that.”

As negotiations continue, one group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, has already made clear that any prospective plan that extends the subsidies without Hyde Amendment protections should be a nonstarter for Republicans.

"We look forward to reviewing the White House's proposal," SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement to NR on Monday. "Our position is consistent and will not change: The Hyde policy must apply, which means no taxpayer dollars should fund abortion or plans that cover abortion. We oppose any health care plan that fails to include this safeguard."