Posted on 04/02/2011 12:47:38 PM PDT by jazusamo
The rumored field of 2012 presidential hopefuls is uniting behind a plan to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, aligning them with a group of House conservatives who are insisting that any final budget deal includes a policy rider to defund the organization.
With less than week left for congressional leaders to reach a budget deal and avert a government shutdown, the proposed rider that would end all federal funding for Planned Parenthood remains one of the thorniest issues in the budget standoff.
Some House conservatives, led by Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.), have indicated they're unwilling to compromise on it and top Democrats have called it a deal breaker.
Eight of the rumored 2012 Republican presidential contenders have now come out in favor of cutting the federal funding, which the anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony List is highlighting in its ongoing effort to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood.
The group is circulating new statements of support from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour to Hill staffers over the weekend as talks toward a budget deal continue.
The SBA List, which has led the charge for funding cuts and is paying for a TV ad campaign, solicited statements from another four rumored GOP hopefuls late this week. In statements provided to SBA List, Palin, Huckabee, Pawlenty and Barbour all advocated eliminating the funding.
"I join Rep. Mike Pence and others of conscience and common sense who are leading the charge to end the taxpayer funding of the nation's largest abortion provider," Palin said in a statement. "We recognize that not only is our country buried under Mt. McKinley-sized debt, but that the truest measure of an society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves."
Huckabee called it a "horrific thought that our government provides funding to an organization that provides abortions to so many women."
"We need to demand this Congress vote to defund Planned Parenthood," he said in a statement. "Our tax dollars should never be used to provide abortions and our government should put an end to it immediately."
In his statement, Pawlenty alluded to videos filmed by an anti-abortion group which have been the subject of recent controversy. Their accuracy has been disputed by Planned Parenthood.
"Washington has a massive spending problem, and we need to set priorities," Pawlenty said. "Recent undercover videos show that employees of America's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, aided alleged human traffickers wishing to exploit young girls. Yet, they continue to receive significant taxpayer funding. That should come to an end."
A request for comment from Planned Parenthood was not immediately returned.
Another four potential Republican hopefuls are already on the record supporting the funding cuts: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and talk radio host Herman Cain.
SBA List reached out to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for a statement on the defunding proposal, but has not yet received a response.
The policy rider to the fiscal 2011 budget bill that would defund the group is one of two that top Democrats have said in recent days they won't accept as part of any final budget. Earlier this week, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the controversial riders attached to the House spending bill a deal breaker.
"The bottom line is that whether it's Planned Parenthood or EPA, we will not accept those riders," Schumer said in an interview on MSNBC.
On Thursday, Pence rallied Tea Party activists outside the U.S. capitol and urged House Republicans to stand firm on plans to defund the organization. In a radio interview with Sean Hannity on Friday, Pence again signaled his willingness to stare down Democrats, who he said were angling for a government shutdown.
"If the liberals in the Senate want to play political games and shut down the government instead of making a payment on fiscal discipline," Pence said, "I say shut it down."
Why in the world wouldn’t they be. Beyond the no brainer that the place is a death factory, It is a collosal waste of taxpayers money.
Certainly Planned Parenthood would be at the top of the list.
What is so freaking hard about that?
I hear you and am curious about Romney not answering, wouldn’t surprise me if he’s for funding them.
That’d work for me as long as the EPA is included.
I’m not curious. I know Romney is sitting there with his finger in the air waiting to see how the public is thinking on this. He is professional weasel. No matter the issue, Myth tries to cover both sides.
Mike Pence (and the Republican presidential hopefuls) are right on this one - and I think they'll be successful. It's transparently clear that the Democrats are hoping a Republican fear of 'closing down the government' will convince Republican politicians to cave on de-funding Planned Parenthood but I don't think that will happen - nor should it. That the Democrats, as usual, will go to the wall to keep taxpayer money flowing to a nationwide abortion mill organization is telling and should wake up political independents as to what the Democrats really stand for. Death and destruction, in myriad ways and none worse than the snuffing out of nascent human life for convenience and little more. which is beyond despicable.
I’ve calculated PP’s income from abortion to be over $200 million in 2008 alone. And it’s common knowledge that PP’s current director Cecile Richards makes over $300, 000. The last thing PP needs is more taxpayer money. Nonprofit my foot. If the liberals are so supportive of PP why don’t they contribute voluntarily to it?
Although the Hyde Amendment prohibits federal money from going towards abortion it is clear that PP doesn’t require a dime of taxpayer money. I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of taxpayer money goes towards paying executive salaries, not towards the health services. Plus PP is a bloated, corrupt, blatant sex-positivist propaganda machine. Time to defund this monstrosity.
The phraseology tells you all you need to know about the writer.
If Planned Parenthood is so critical, donations will make up for tax dollars. It already has Buffet, Gates and others as among its donors.
Good posts all.
Like has already been said, there’s not one reason for any taxpayer funding for PP. If leftists feel the need for the PP murdering scum let the leftists fund them.
Yeah, and it’ll take Trump 3 weeks to get back to O’Reilly on where he stands on the abortion issue, so for now, that probably puts another ‘GOP 2012 hopeful’ on the side line.
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