House Freedom Caucus: ‘We Oppose Any Spending Measure’ That Funds Planned Parenthood

The House Freedom Caucus affirms that its members oppose “any spending measure that contains funding for Planned Parenthood.”

The statement comes as Republican leaders, hoping to avert a government shutdown, are facing strong opposition from House conservatives refusing to approve a budget that includes funding for the abortion giant. Planned Parenthood is currently under investigation by at least three congressional committees following the release of videos exposing its practices of harvesting the body parts of aborted babies for sale on the open market.

#DefundPlannedParenthood pic.twitter.com/QkLRwESC82

— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) September 2, 2015

“Given the appalling revelations surrounding Planned Parenthood, we cannot in good moral conscience vote to send taxpayer money to this organization while still fulfilling our duty to represent our constituents,” House Freedom Caucus members say. “We must therefore oppose any spending measure that contains funding for Planned Parenthood.”

In January, Politico reported on the launch of the Freedom Caucus – which includes its nine founding members – conservative Republicans with the following mission:

The House Freedom Caucus gives a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them. We support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety, and prosperity of all Americans.

The founding members of the caucus include Rep. Scott Garrett, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. John Fleming, Rep. Matt Salmon, Rep. Justin Amash, Rep. Raúl Labrador, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, Rep. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Mark Meadows.

The House Freedom Caucus is an invitation-only group that, now with some reported three dozen members, is in a position to block Republican legislation that does not reflect constitutional and limited government.

Recently, caucus chairman Jordan told CQ Roll Call that, regarding a vote for a budget that includes funding for Planned Parenthood, “Personally, there’s no way I’m going to vote for something that gives money to this organization in light of what we discovered.”

In July, Jordan told Politico, “We need to show our vision of where we need to go. You know why 65 percent of Republicans don’t think we’re doing what we said we were going to do? Because we’re not.”

“We have a chance now, an opportunity now, to do what we said we were going to do,” he added.