GOP Touts Show Vote to Defund Planned Parenthood and Gut Obamacare

Kevin McCarthy et al
Andrew Harnick/AP

Congressional Republicans are touting a bill scheduled for a vote next week that would gut Obamacare’s mandates and taxes and eliminate taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood in favor of other health centers that do not perform abortions.

President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the measure, which is being pushed through using the reconciliation budgetary process that requires only a simple majority for approval and leaves Democrats without the opportunity for a filibuster.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) said in the GOP’s weekly address Saturday that repealing much of Obamacare “would be a significant improvement to our health care system,” and that health insurance would be more affordable if we “make insurance companies compete for your business.”

“The people have for years asked Congress to stop sending taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood,” she continued. “Especially after we learned last year of the disturbing practices Planned Parenthood officials engage in, such as harvesting and selling baby body parts. These actions, along with the hundreds of thousands of abortions they perform each year show a blatant disregard for human life.”

Hartzler also said the bill would place the choice of continuing to fund abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood on Obama.

“Does he support the people and women’s health, or does he support Washington mandates and tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood?” she asked.

“We were sent to Congress to fight for the American people,” Hartzler said, adding the measure would be Congress’s “best shot” at repealing Obamacare and ending taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.

Conservatives, however, have said Congress’s “best shot” at accomplishing these goals would have been through its use of the “power of the purse.” Several weeks ago, Republicans passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that did not repeal the Obamacare mandates and taxes the reconciliation measure hopes to eliminate, and that still funded Planned Parenthood throughout most of 2016. GOP leaders caved to Obama and Democrats on the spending bill for fear of a government shutdown that the liberal media would have blamed on them.

Evangelical leader Rev. Franklin Graham announced at the end of December that he was leaving the Republican Party following the GOP’s continued taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.

Graham posted on Facebook:

After all of the appalling facts revealed this year about Planned Parenthood, our representatives in Washington had a chance to put a stop to this, but they didn’t. There’s no question—taxpayers should not be paying for abortions! Abortion is murder in God’s eyes. Seeing and hearing Planned Parenthood talk nonchalantly about selling baby parts from aborted fetuses with utter disregard for human life is reminiscent of Joseph Mengele and the Nazi concentration camps! That should’ve been all that was needed to turn off the faucet for their funding.

Black Christian leader Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr., president of STAND, tells Breitbart News the “best shot” the nation has in defunding Planned Parenthood is with “principled Republicans.”

“We have to send more of them to Congress and hold them accountable when they get there,” he said. “We must elect a principled Republican President.”

Jackson said Graham’s departure from the Republican Party “should be a warning sign that unless Republican leaders find the courage to stand against the liberal agenda without wavering, many more will follow Franklin’s example and there will be no Republican Party.”

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