Posted on 04/04/2011 12:40:01 PM PDT by Qbert
Forty-one senators have pledged to filibuster any bipartisan spending bill that includes an amendment to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood, threatening an impasse with House conservatives. The group, led by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), includes thirty-nine Democratic senators and two Independents, Sens. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (Vt.).
It’s just large enough to sustain a filibuster to block any spending bill that cuts Planned Parenthood funding from passing the upper chamber.
Congress is trying to reach an agreement on a spending bill for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. The current continuing resolution keeping the government operational runs through April 8. The group outlined their opposition in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and GOP leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), asking Reid and McConnell to “stand with us against extreme proposals by some members of the House to eliminate support for women’s health and family planning programs and providers that service millions of women and families.”
H.R. 1, the package of spending cuts the House passed in February, would eliminate the Title X family planning program.
The lawmakers also said they would “oppose the provision in the House-passed continuing resolution that cuts Planned Parenthood health centers off from federal funds used to provide cancer screenings, birth control and other preventative health care services to three million Americans every year.”
“Without access to these services, many of these women will be unable to get preventive screenings, be at far greater risk for diseases such as cancer and will face more unintended pregnancies,” they wrote.
Several Republican senators have already voiced opposition to the House cuts.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) wrote a letter to Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) stating their belief that “Planned Parenthood provides vital services to those in need.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has also said she would oppose elimination of Title X funding.
Republicans are facing major pressure from conservative activists to keep the cuts intact. The anti-abortion-rights group Susan B. Anthony List released statements Monday from five potential Republican presidential candidates voicing their support for the amendment, proposed by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.).
Reid has already declared the Planned Parenthood rider would not be part of a final deal with the House on 2011 spending levels.
—Jordan Fabian contributed.
Call the Dems bluff!
Good. Shut it down.
Murky and the Maine Twins, as expected.
Fine. Let them shut down the government over it and see what the voters say.
Close it. We may get used to not having to listen to the morons in there now.
And blaming the republicans for it. I say the republicans stand by their principles and just let the chips fall where they may.
Among the worst of the senate worst is Ma'am Boxer. She has two idols on her alter, global warming and abortion, everything else is secondary.
I'm afraid the public will not be happy, with Republicans, if the government is shut down over planned parenthood. It's a toss up which party gets pilloried more if the government is shut down because of spending, but the Republicans will be laughed at as effete nancy boys if they cave on spending now.
Sounds like the baby killers are serious.
And a minority of the Senate can shut down the federal government - that one can cut either way, but you can count on the Senate being OPPOSED to smaller federal government.
Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, of the Corrupt Bastards’ Club.
Thank you, RNC, Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell, and the Republican Establishment for helping Lisa Murkowski beat the Republican nominee.
Abortion and homosexuality are sacraments to the left.
-PJ
Why do they need an amendment to strip funding?
Why can’t they just NOT INCLUDE FUNDING for Planned Parenthood?
If there is no funding included, Reid and the Dems would have to amend to include funding. In that case, the Republicans could filibuster.
Our Democrat Senators doing Al Qaeda’s job for them.
Didn’t the Democrats say that last month a minority of senators should not be allowed to do this, and to that effect, attempted to get rid of the filibuster? :)
Say it ain’t so, Joe.
“Fine. Let them shut down the government over it and see what the voters say.”
Exactly.
(And put even more so-called “moderate” Dems on the ropes with the Obamacare, NPR riders etc.)
Killing babies over all else. These senators are the face of evil.
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