A House plan to send a filibuster-proof bill that guts Obamacare and defunds Planned Parenthood is about to reach the House floor.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 28-23 to advance the reconciliation bill that repeals a fund set up by Obamacare and strip the $500 million in annual funding to women’s health and abortion provider Planned Parenthood.
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The bill will be packaged with two others that gut major parts of Obamacare and will be brought before the full House soon. It is crafted so that it can pass the Senate by a simple majority vote through a process called reconciliation.
Democrats on the panel were livid by the bill, especially the emphasis on Planned Parenthood.
“It is nothing but a political farce that a majority of Americans will not support,” said Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the committee’s top Democrat.
Republicans countered that they were against Planned Parenthood’s practice of harvesting fetal body parts, which was discussed in a series of undercover videos.
“Those funds would be reprogrammed to other organizations that don’t conduct the practices that Planned Parenthood does,” said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas.
He added that Planned Parenthood is a private entity that is not entitled to federal funding.
Lawmakers said they were horrified by the activities discussed in the videos.
“This is about saving the lives of the unborn and keeping women from being wounded through this horrible violence,” said Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa.
But Planned Parenthood “receives no federal funding for abortion,” said Rep. Diana Degette, D-Colo. “Planned Parenthood receives Medicaid funding for the poor women and men who go there for their services.”
Lawmakers also clashed on the provision in the legislation to repeal the Public Health and Prevention Fund established by Obamacare. The $2 billion fund is used for grants and programs aimed at promoting better public health such as smoking cessation programs and disease screenings.
Republicans say there is no control over how the funding is doled out.
“No one here can tell us what this funding will be used for next year, or in five years or 10 years or 20 years or 50 years. The fund lasts in perpetuity,” Pitts said.
Pitts added that the fund has paid for unnecessary items such as pet neutering services and Zumba. “Whatever that is,” said Pitts, referring to the high-energy exercise class.
Two other committees already advanced bills that gut critical parts of Obamacare such as the law’s mandates for getting coverage and taxes.
The House Budget Committee now will stitch together the three bills and bring the package to the House floor, where it is expected to pass.
Republicans intend to use the budget reconciliation process to avoid a filibuster from Democrats and only require 51 votes to pass. The GOP has a 54-seat majority.
Reconciliation is an uncommon procedure created for bills that help Congress meet budgetary spending levels. Because of this, the legislative package focuses on parts of Obamacare that focus on taxes and spending. Reconciliation was used in 2010 to pass parts of Obamacare.
President Obama is widely expected to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.
