Congress passes bill to avoid shutdown

Conservative Republicans are very much against the spending bill’s inclusion of federal dollars for Planned Parenthood, and News 3’s Noelle Bellow has reaction form one local health group.

Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood Southeast which serves three states, including Georgia told me the issue isn’t whether there are other facilities, the issue is time and money.

The funding measure fails to address the nation’s $18 trillion debt, contains an additional $20 billion in “budgetary gimmicks” and continues funding for President Barack Obama’s “often unconstitutional and radical policies”, DesJarlais said. The spending bill keeps the government funded until December 11.

“However”, Rogers added, “this legislation is absolutely necessary, as the alternative – a government shutdown – is reckless and irresponsible”. However lawmakers did approve a continuing resolution that funds federal government operations until December 11th.

“Koster’s investigation examined in detail the tissue-handling practices of Planned Parenthood’s Missouri surgical facility and concluded there was no evidence that the facility engaged in unlawful activity”, according to a press release.

McConnell said Tuesday that he and Boehner spoke with Obama recently and that he expects budget negotiations to get underway soon.

Congressional leaders and the White House have started broader talks to work on a longer-term budget deal. But House republicans said the hearing and the questioning of Richards was not about abortion politics, but rather whether the organizations is worthy of continued federal funding.

The House also adopted a separate resolution that defunds Planned Parenthood, but the Senate did not attach it to the spending bill.

The measure later cleared the House with bipartisan support, 277 to 151.

Republicans are generally opposed to increasing spending, but a few are pushing for more military spending.

Representative Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said he disagreed and that unintended pregnancy and abortion rates would actually go up if Planned Parenthood ceased to exist.

Many feared that a shutdown could happen because of opposition to taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood within the Republican Party.

“McCarthy is not an advocate for women’s health, so i think we’re going to see even more attempts to defund Planned Parenthood“, Mickelberry said.

“It’s our responsibility to look at the facts of being in divided government”, said Rep. Martha McSally (R., Ariz.) “We, with this divided majority that we have, can be strategic and can actually show the American people that we can get things done”.