WASHINGTON, D.C., November 10, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) — Senate Republicans have “no desire” to pull a Planned Parenthood defunding measure but they may have no choice, a GOP aide told LifeSiteNews.
Last month, House Republicans passed a bill to repeal several components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through reconciliation, a budget process that avoids a Senate filibuster and requires a simple majority vote instead of the normal 60.
That bill also included a measure to defund Planned Parenthood, which may need to be pulled if the Senate Parliamentarian rules it is not a budgetary measure.
Earlier this year, Elizabeth MacDonough indicated she would hold a repeal of the ACA up to a high standard for reconciliation. That bar may mean that a defunding measure won't pass muster because its intent is more about the effect on Planned Parenthood, not budget savings.
The Hill cited numerous Senate aides and others who say the language is likely to be pulled, though a GOP aide told LifeSiteNews that “there’s no desire to pull the provision,” and that “The Hill got ahead of the parliamentarian.”
A Senate GOP aide likewise clarified to LifeSiteNews that Members “don’t know how the parliamentarian will rule on the bill. That will impact how the bill text will look.”
The bill is also running into political problems: Several moderate GOP senators may not vote for the Planned Parenthood defunding measure. Last month, one of those senators — Alaskan Lisa Murkowski — said she is “a supporter of Planned Parenthood.”
And two conservative lawmakers running for president of the United States — Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas — say the House bill doesn't go far enough, which may cause the Senate to make the bill more expansive in terms of repealing portions of the ACA.
The Hill reports that the House's bill maintains several tax increases, health insurance subsidies, and Medicaid expansion. It repeals the so-called “Cadillac tax” on high-end employer-provided health plans, the medical device tax, and mandates to purchase and provide insurance plans.
Regardless of what the final legislation includes, it is considered dead on arrival in the White House, given the president's support for Planned Parenthood and the ACA.
Phone number to call your senator: (202) 224-3121
Correction: This article originally misidentified Sen. Rand Paul as a third presidential contender in the Senate who opposed the defunding measure. Cruz and Rubio are the only two.