Part of: Abortion & Reproductive Rights
GOP Rep Flip-Flops on 'Asshole' Abortion Bill: Just Travel
Mace was overheard in an elevator calling a DOD abortion-travel reimbursement amendment 'an asshole move, an asshole amendment,' then voted for it when the measure came to the floor. She was confronted by CNN's Kaitlan Collins about the hypocrisy, generating the 'being assholes to women' clip.
William Vaillancourt ·
"being assholes to women"
, Rep. Nancy Mace, overheard in an elevator describing the DOD abortion-travel amendment before she voted for it
William Vaillancourt reported for The Daily Beast on one of the most vivid self-contradictions in Mace's congressional record. In a candid elevator exchange before the vote, Mace had been overheard calling a Department of Defense amendment that would eliminate reimbursements for service members traveling out of state to obtain abortions "an asshole move, an asshole amendment." The recording and characterization became public.
When the amendment came to the floor, Mace voted for it.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins then confronted Mace directly about the reversal. In the televised exchange, Mace defended her vote with the argument that travel itself remained available:
"Nothing in here would prohibit a woman from traveling out of state to follow state law."
The defense did not address the core inconsistency, that she had privately described the measure as hostile to women and then supported it publicly. The confrontation with Collins produced the widely-circulated clip of Mace using the phrase "being assholes to women" in a congressional context.
The episode became a reference point in subsequent reporting on Mace's relationship with abortion politics, including her later positioning as a self-described moderate on reproductive rights during the 2026 governor campaign.
Related coverage
Read next
April 8, 2025 · DispatchNancy Mace Calls Her Constituents 'Ugly,' 'Nasty,' Doubles Down on Refusing Town Hall
After refusing to attend a March 2025 town hall in her district, Mace posted a video calling constituents who had been calling her office 'ugly,' 'hateful,' and 'nasty.' The comments were widely condemned as contemptuous of her own voters.
April 5, 2025 · DispatchNancy Mace 'Thirst Trap' Sparks Social Media Backlash
A crop-top jogging photo Mace posted to social media prompted a wave of commentary ranging from lewd to anti-trans, drawing coverage of the unintended backlash and her pattern of posting attention-seeking content.
March 28, 2025 · DispatchRep. Nancy Mace was invited to a town hall, but declined. Voters wonder: Is she listening to us?
Byrd reported on a March 28 Mount Pleasant town hall attended by 200-plus constituents, with Mace's chair sitting empty after she declined the invitation, calling organizers 'paid agitators.' The story framed a pattern of constituent avoidance.
December 12, 2024 · DispatchRep. Nancy Mace Threatens Media For Reporting On Handshake She Says Was Assault
After media reported eyewitnesses contradicted Mace's assault account of the McIntyre incident, Mace went on far-right media to threaten defamation suits against any outlet that questioned her version of events, a threat that was itself widely covered as an attempt to intimidate journalists.
December 11, 2024 · DispatchThis GOP Rep. May Have Lied About Trans Activist Attacking Her
New Republic report citing three eyewitnesses who said McIntyre simply shook Mace's hand and asked her to support trans youth, directly contradicting her claim of physical assault. Published the day before Mace's media-threat appearance.
July 27, 2023 · Dispatch"TMI": GOP Rep. Nancy Mace tells prayer breakfast audience she turned down sex to be there
At a Christian prayer breakfast hosted by Sen. Tim Scott, Mace joked about turning down sex with her then-fiancé to attend, saying 'a little TMI' after the punchline. Conservative commentators expressed outrage at the impropriety; the story revealed Mace's pattern of saying attention-grabbing, self-undermining things in public settings.