In the latest development in the budget battle that concerns federal funding for abortions and the Planned Parenthood abortion business, House Republicans unveiled a short-term continuing resolution.
They were forced to release a new bill, which funds the government for three weeks — to April 2 — because pro-abortion Senate Democrats defeated the long-term bill to fund the federal government that de-funds Planned Parenthood and contains pro-life riders that reinstates the Mexico City Policy, stops abortion funding in the District of Columbia, and de-funds the pro-abortion UNFPA, which works hand-in-hand with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions to enforce the one-child policy.
Speaker John Boehner has already said he is focused on getting the pro-life measures in a long-term funding bill so they can have some permanency. As a result, the latest short-term CR, which is the second short-term bill the House has put forward since adopting the longer, pro-life version, does not contain the Pence Amendment or the pro-life riders.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said GOP leaders are focused on passing another long-term bill, that pro-life groups hope will have the same amendments attached.
“Beyond this 3-week measure, House Republicans will continue to work on a long-term CR to fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year,” he said. “Though there are visible divisions in the Democrat party, we hope that our friends on the other side of the aisle will work with the President and join us on a measure to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year that contains serious spending cuts and makes Washington begin to live within its means.”
That the new CR doesn’t contain the pro-life provisions has upset some Republican lawmakers and one pro-life group that says it will score votes on the short-term bill as pro-abortion vote because the pro-life policy measures are not included.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio says he plans to vote against the new CR because it doesn’t have the same pro-life provisions as is in the bill the pro-abortion Senate Democrats defeated.
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins joins him in opposing the bill and says pro-life members of the House should oppose it.
“The time to bring our fiscal house in order is now, and defunding organizations that work against the principles of a majority of Americans needs to be done to show that this Congress is serious,” Perkins said.
“In 2008, Planned Parenthood vowed to spend $10 million to elect pro-abortion Democrats,” he added. “In return Planned Parenthood was handed a health care bill that includes abortion funding as well as access to a slush fund containing billions of tax dollars.”
“In the last few months, we have seen Planned Parenthood pass the 5 million abortions performed mark, watched videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s latent racism and complicity in covering up crimes such as sex trafficking of children. The abortion giant finally admitted that not only do they not perform mammograms as they previously claimed but they also ordered all of its affiliates to perform abortions or leave the Planned Parenthood umbrella,” Perkins concluded.
Heritage Action and the Club for Growth are also opposed to the new short-term continuing resolution for fiscal reasons and, combined, the three conservative groups may have enough pull to peel off enough House Republicans that the bill could have a hard time getting through the House.
The House is set to vote on the measure on Tuesday and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Senate Democrats would support it.
But both House Republicans and Senate Democrats challenged each other on a long-term spending bill and Senate Republicans could complicate efforts by Democrats to oppose a new House long-term bill that would likely have the pro-life provisions attached. Ten Republican senators are warning Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that they will block any other bills that do not address fiscal issues until Democrats yield ground on the House long-term bill.
“While there are many issues that warrant the Senate’s consideration, we feel that the Senate must not debate and consider bills at this time that do not affirmatively cut spending,” a letter signed by the 10 lawmakers said. “We, therefore, are notifying you of our intention to object to the consideration of any legislation that fails to directly address this crisis in a meaningful way.”
Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, John Ensign of Nevada, Mike Lee of Utah, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Marco Rubio of Florida, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania signed the letter.
