Congress Temporarily Funds Government, Including Planned Parenthood
The U.S. House voted to avoid a government shutdown and fund Planned Parenthood, but the right-wing fight against women's health care is far from over.
See more of our coverage on the effects of the misleading Center for Medical Progress videos here.
On Wednesday, the last day before a potential government shutdown, the U.S. House voted to pass a bill that would fund the government through December, including Planned Parenthood. The measure now moves to President Obama’s desk and is expected to be signed before midnight.
The vote was 277 to 151, with every Democrat and 91 Republicans voting for the measure.
All of the votes against were from Republicans, many of whom vowed to shut down the government unless federal funding was cut off for Planned Parenthood.
These anti-choice lawmakers cite deceptively edited videos released by an anti-choice front group as their reason for cutting off funding. The smear video campaign was launched in coordination with GOP lawmakers.
Republicans have targeted Planned Parenthood funding for years, and the GOP waged a very similar near-shutdown funding fight four years ago—also inspired by discredited videos.
The pending resignation of Speaker of the House John Boehner helped make this deal possible. Boehner faced an insurrection from extreme right-wing members of his party who refused to budge unless he fought for their way, and who threatened to oust him as speaker. Without the threat of a chaotic no-confidence vote, Boehner could comfortably pass a spending bill with mostly Democratic support.
But the right-wing fight against Planned Parenthood is far from over. House committees continue to scrutinize the women’s health provider in show trial-like proceedings, and another funding fight will likely emerge in ten weeks when this temporary spending bill expires.
“Today’s vote to avert another government shutdown without slashing Planned Parenthood is a tremendous victory for women everywhere, but we know that as long as the right-wing Republicans are in power, this fight is far from over,” Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America, said in a statement.