Mike Johnson to skip defunding Planned Parenthood in next party-line bill

Published April 7, 2026 6:34pm ET



EXCLUSIVE — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) plans to leave a top priority of the anti-abortion movement out of a party-line bill Republicans hope to pass in the coming weeks, the latest sign GOP leadership is resisting attempts to expand the scope of the legislation beyond immigration enforcement.

Anti-abortion organizations are urging House and Senate leaders to renew a one-year ban on Medicaid dollars for groups such as Planned Parenthood, signed into law as part of President Donald Trump’s tax bill, before it expires on July 4. But Johnson, a close ally of the movement, is not considering the language, according to a GOP leadership aide, as Republicans attempt to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security through reconciliation, a budget process that skirts the Senate filibuster.

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