In a 241-186 vote, the House on Tuesday failed to override President Obama's veto of a budget reconciliation measure (HR 3762) that would have suspended federal funding for Planned Parenthood and repealed parts of the Affordable Care Act (PL 111-148), The Hill reports (Ferris/Sullivan, The Hill, 2/2).
To override Obama's veto, the House would have needed a two-thirds majority.
Federal Defunding Efforts in Reconciliation and FY 2016 Budget Measures
When a stopgap spending bill -- which included funding for Planned Parenthood -- was debated earlier this year, some conservative lawmakers said they would not support any government spending measure that includes funding for the organization. Last month, Obama signed a government spending measure that does not include language defunding Planned Parenthood.
Meanwhile, congressional leaders pursued an alternative budget procedure known as reconciliation. The Senate on Dec. 4, 2015, voted 52-47 to pass a budget reconciliation bill that would defund Planned Parenthood and repeal several ACA provisions. Through budget reconciliation, certain legislation can advance in the Senate with a simple majority vote.
The part of the reconciliation measure that targets Planned Parenthood would end federal funding for the organization for one year. According to the Congressional Budget Office, that amounts to about $390 million in Medicaid funding. Meanwhile, the measure would add $235 million in funding for community health centers.
Following the Senate vote, the House on Jan. 7 voted 240-181 to pass the measure. Obama vetoed the bill on Jan. 8 (Women's Health Policy Report, 1/11).
Lawmakers Urge House Speaker To Disband Investigation Into Abortion Providers
In related news, several members of Congress in a letter on
Monday called for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to dissolve a special House committee investigating abortion practices, The Hill reports. The letter was sent to Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (Ferris, The Hill, 2/2).
The lawmakers' letter follows similar calls by Planned Parenthood last week.
Background
The subcommittee was created last year following the release of a series of misleading videos targeting Planned Parenthood.
The videos, released by the antiabortion-rights group Center for Medical Progress, depict Planned Parenthood officials discussing fetal tissue donation. Planned Parenthood has stated that the videos were heavily edited and that the filmed officials did not conduct any illegal activities. Earlier this month, CMP Director David Daleiden and employee Sandra Merritt were indicted as part of a Harris County, Texas, investigation into Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.
The subcommittee is allowed to probe, among other topics, federal funding for health care providers who also provide abortion services and providers' practices for abortions later in pregnancy. The resolution (H Res 461) that created the subcommittee gave it the ability to investigate "medical procedures and business practices used by entities involved in fetal tissue procurement" and "any other relevant matters with respect to fetal tissue procurement" (Women's Health Policy Report, 1/29).
Letter Details
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, "As you know, on Monday, January 25th, 2016, a Texas grand jury exonerated Planned Parenthood and instead, indicted the creators of highly edited, deceptive videos designed to undermine our nation's largest provider of women's health care on felony charges of tampering with government records." The lawmakers also noted that investigations in 12 states have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood.
The lawmakers continued, "In light of overwhelming evidence that the House and Senate's taxpayer-funded efforts to undermine Planned Parenthood are based purely on political pandering, not facts, we write today to again encourage that Congressional [conservatives] disband the House Select Investigative Committee, end all ongoing Congressional investigations examining Planned Parenthood, and stop ... political efforts to undermine women's access to health care" (Blumenthal release, 2/2).
The letter was signed by more than 20 senators.
Comments
Separately, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) noted that the committee has not yet identified goals for the next year. She said, "It's unclear how they plan to proceed" (The Hill, 2/2).
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) noted, "It really is a witch hunt" (Howell, Washington Times, 2/2).
