Senate Punts on Planned Parenthood Again
The recent federal spending bill has go a point of contention in the Republican principal for North Carolina's 9th Congressional Commune seat.
Incumbent Rep. Robert Pittenger faces a challenge from Rev. Mark Harris, who lost the 2016 main against Pittenger past merely 134 votes. The duo has traded barbs over Pittenger's voting record, whether Harris worked to stop Donald Trump from becoming president and at present over the coach beak that Congress passed and Trump signed in March.
Harris thinks Pittenger should've opposed the bill since it didn't fully fund a border wall, among other reasons. Pittenger, meanwhile, has touted its benefits.
1 of the bill's positives, Pittenger said in a recent newsletter, is that the nib "does non designate a single dollar for Planned Parenthood."
When asked most the newsletter, Pittenger's staff pointed to a breakup of the motorcoach bill that was circulated past Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the Firm Republican Conference.
Her summary of the bill, emailed to House Republicans, says "there has never been a line item for Planned Parenthood in the Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill."
The Pittenger entrada also pointed out a congratulatory letter he received from the National Right to Life organisation – which the campaign included in its argument virtually Planned Parenthood funding. National Right to Life is an anti-abortion group that has endorsed Pittenger and gives him a 100 percent "pro-life" voting record.
Funding remains
The group's letter supports Pittenger'south claim that the bill doesn't include any "line item" money specifically for Planned Parenthood. But, the NRL letter notes that Planned Parenthood affiliates "are able to tap into funds from the diverse long-standing health programs."
"The greatest amount of federal money to Planned Parenthood flows through then-called 'mandatory spending programs,' generally Medicaid," the letter says.
Indeed, recent estimates show that the organization about 40 percentage of its funding from the government. Planned Parenthood receives more than than $500 million in combined country and federal authorities funds.
If a Medicaid patient comes to Planned Parenthood, the organisation tin neb the organization for services the patient chooses.
Another portion can come through the government's Title X Family unit program, which subsidizes nascence control and tests for sexually-transmitted diseases. But Congress and President Donald Trump last year passed a law that allows states to withhold that funding for groups like Planned Parenthood. Pittenger voted for that law.
Lawrence Shaheen, a spokesman for the Pittenger campaign, argued that the newsletter isn't deceptive considering it included the National Right to Life letter explaining that Planned Parenthood still receives funding through other ways.
Some tried to cut all funds
So the omnibus beak doesn't finish funding for Planned Parenthood, even if the health organization isn't specifically mentioned every bit a funding recipient. Merely information technology wasn't for a lack of trying by some Republicans in Congress.
Some House Republicans – including several from the Firm Liberty Caucus – tied their support for the spending bill to cutting federal funding to Planned Parenthood, according to Politico. Nevertheless, the endeavour died largely because the neb wouldn't garner plenty support in the Senate to pass, according to Vox.
Planned Parenthood's continued eligibility for federal funding prompted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to tout the beak every bit a victory for Democrats.
"We don't take the House. Nosotros don't accept the Senate. We don't take the presidency," Schumer said, "but we produced a darn skilful bill for the priorities that we have believed in."
While the omnibus pecker gives no new funding to Planned Parenthood and doesn't designate coin for the organization past proper noun, it does let Planned Parenthood to continue receiving coin from the federal authorities.
Our ruling
Pittenger said the spending bill "does non designate a single dollar for Planned Parenthood." Technically, in the very literal sense of the word "designate," Pittenger is right. The neb doesn't specifically straight funding to Planned Parenthood by proper name.
But the federal government continues to pay for Planned Parenthood's services through Medicaid and other programs. And since voters are more likely to care about whether their tax dollars go to an system – non whether the organization is specifically named in legislation – we rate Pittenger's claim One-half Truthful.
Source: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/apr/06/robert-pittenger/pittenger-says-bill-doesnt-designate-money-planned/
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