Christmas may be gone, but Scrooge is still here! Much to our disappointment, Congress passed a massive funding bill before leaving town for Christmas that continued the taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and the farce of the “Affordable” Care Act. When conservatives cried foul, Republicans pointed out they didn’t have the 60 Senate votes they needed to end Americans' forced partnership with Planned Parenthood.
But all isn’t lost! This week, the House hopes to change that by pressuring the White House atone for two of its biggest mistakes since 2009: funding Planned Parenthood centers with taxpayer money and the government’s terrible excuse for a health care system. “You’re going to see us put a bill on the president’s desk going after ObamaCare and Planned Parenthood,” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) vowed over the Christmas recess. Late last month, the Senate used the reconciliation process to make some key changes to the Americans’ Health Care Freedom Reconciliation Act before kicking it back to the House for final approval. Now, Speaker Ryan’s chamber is just inches shy of the goal of sending its first-ever repeal of the main pillars of ObamaCare to the president’s desk, along with language to zero out Planned Parenthood’s $400 million in Medicaid money.
If the president is still stubbornly in favor of these twin failures, then the responsibility for them will rest squarely on his shoulders -- and his shoulders alone. For once, the president will have to answer for entangling America even deeper into the culture of death -- first, by bankrolling an industry built on the backs on innocent unborn children; and later, through the government’s disaster of a health care takeover. As Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) pointed out in the Republicans’ Weekly Address, the GOP’s eyes are on the prize. In one of its first acts of 2016, conservatives’ hope their hard work pays off in a final vote striking down major portions of both ObamaCare and Planned Parenthood funding.
“The point of health care is to preserve and protect life,” Hartzler explained. “That’s why this bill stops taxpayer funding for abortion providers. The people have, for years, asked Congress to stop sending taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, 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. That's why this bill places a moratorium on taxpayer funding to abortion providers and redirects that money to community health centers. These health centers serve eight times more women patients than Planned Parenthood, and they provide much more comprehensive care.”
Among other things, the bill topples the onerous individual and employer mandates that punish Americans for not buying (or in the case of businesses, offering) health coverage. It also slashes ridiculous taxes on things like medical devices (which includes everything from braces to bedpans) and, thanks to the Senate, puts the subsidy squeeze on health care plans that cover abortion on demand.
Although the House easily passed the bill in November (with 246 votes, no less!), the Senate’s subtle changes to the reconciliation bill mean that your representative will have to vote on the measure a second time. As we approach the finish line on this massive rebuke of the president’s policies, pro-lifers should take nothing for granted. It’s absolutely vital that your House member hears from you today and tomorrow. Congress has taken dozens of votes to oust ObamaCare and sever ties with Planned Parenthood, but none may be more important than this. Urge your representative to vote yes on H.R. 3762!
