The Senate will vote Thursday on legislation to keep the government funded through Dec. 11 and strip taxpayer dollars from Planned Parenthood.
But Democrats are already saying they’ll block the bill.
The $1.017 trillion measure adheres to the spending caps mandated in the 2011 Budget Control Act, but boosts defense spending by increasing an overseas war account, and allowing that account to be used elsewhere in the Defense Department. The overseas account would be increased to an annual level of $74.4 billion.
But caps on domestic spending would remain, a move Democrats oppose. Democrats also oppose language blocking all federal spending on Planned Parenthood, which has come under significant criticism after organization officials were secretly videotaped discussing the sale of fetal body parts.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said $235 million of the mandatory funding for the abortion provider would be redirected to help fund community health centers.
The vote will take place following the pope’s address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday morning.
“This would allow us to press the ‘pause’ button as we investigate the serious scandal surrounding Planned Parenthood,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said.
McConnell introduced the temporary spending measure as Democrats continued to blame the GOP for a looming government shutdown. Congress must pass a new spending measure before the 2015 fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, or face a partial shutdown.
Democrats have been demanding Republicans sit down with them and negotiate higher spending levels, and are staunchly opposed to taking money from Planned Parenthood, which provides health services for women as well as abortions.
“It is disappointing, but not surprising, that Senate Republicans chose to defund safe and high-quality women’s healthcare services through their continuing resolution,” Rep. Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement. “Cutting Planned Parenthood’s federal reimbursements and grants would deprive millions of women of safe and effective contraception services that prevent unwanted pregnancies, as well as basic reproductive health exams, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, prenatal services, fertility treatment, and much more.”
