A coalition of four anti-abortion groups is pleading with President Trump to veto an appropriations bill that preserves federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
“Since Congress will not lead, we are asking you to do so,” the groups implored Trump in a letter released Wednesday. “The current spending bill from Congress includes no provisions to get taxpayers out of the abortion business and was purposefully drafted to exclude some of your other critical priorities.”
The letter — signed by the anti-abortion groups March for Life, Students for Life, Live Action, Heartbeat International, and Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee — is the latest sign of frustration from anti-abortion activists that Planned Parenthood continues to get federal funding despite full GOP control of Washington.
The House is expected to vote this week on an appropriations package that includes funding for the Department of Health and Human Services alongside a continuing resolution for other federal agencies in order to avert a government shutdown at the end of this month. The Senate passed its own version of the appropriations package last month.
But the groups charge that Trump must veto the appropriations bill if it reaches his desk, because it includes funding for Planned Parenthood, which gets around $500 million a year in federal money. The bill is likely to pass the House with wide bipartisan support.
Federal law prohibits any money from going to cover abortion, but anti-abortion groups have sought to cut off funding to organizations that provide abortions alongside other services. Some anti-abortion activists have also accused Planned Parenthood of flouting the law.
As evidence against Planned Parenthood, they point to a series of undercover videos filmed by anti-abortion activists published in 2015 that showed Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting and donation of aborted fetal tissue. It is illegal to sell fetal tissue, but Planned Parenthood responded that it only gets reimbursed for transportation costs.
In August, the Senate voted on an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to strip federal funding for the women’s health and abortion provider in the funding legislation now headed toward a final vote, but it failed.
Senate and House appropriators have shied away from including controversial amendments called “poison pills” into the appropriations bill in order to not imperil bipartisan support.
Wednesday’s letter noted that Trump told anti-abortion voters and groups during the 2016 campaign that he would not fund Planned Parenthood.
But funding has continued for Planned Parenthood during Trump’s nearly two years in office.
Anti-abortion groups have been pleased, though, by other Trump administration actions related to abortion law, most notably his appointment of conservative judges to federal courts.
The Trump administration also terminated a contract between the fetal tissue research company Advanced Biosciences and the Food and Drug Administration after heated demands from anti-abortion groups.
