Democrats block Planned Parenthood defunding; McConnell offers 'clean bill'

Erin Kelly | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats blocked a bill Thursday to keep the government funded through Dec. 11 because of a Republican provision to strip Planned Parenthood of federal money for a year.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., moved immediately after the vote to try to avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown by filing a new bill that funds federal agencies but does not include the divisive Planned Parenthood provision. A vote on that bill could come as early as Monday.

Senators voted 52-47 Thursday against advancing a government funding bill by McConnell that would have transferred $235 million from Planned Parenthood to women's health clinics that don't perform abortions. Eight Republicans joined all but one Democrat in voting against the motion to advance the bill.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.., said it's time for Republicans to change their strategy. She advocated passing a bill to fund the government without tying the legislation to Planned Parenthood.

"Rather than resting all our hopes on a strategy that will achieve no result and will be manipulated by Democrats and the media, I believe we should fund the government, fully investigate Planned Parenthood, and focus our efforts on electing pro-life leaders," she said Thursday after voting against advancing McConnell's bill.

Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said GOP leaders knew that McConnell's bill would not pass Thursday and were "wasting time on a publicity stunt."

"Republicans are using a looming fiscal crisis to pander to their base," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

McConnell said a one-year moratorium on federal funding for Planned Parenthood would have allowed time for key congressional committees to investigate the group. The House passed the moratorium last week but is still deciding how to proceed on an overall government funding bill.

“I know Democrats have relied on Planned Parenthood as a political ally, but they must be moved by the horrifying images we’ve seen," McConnell said. "Can they not resolve to protect women’s health instead of powerful political friends?"

The investigations are being done in response to the recent release of undercover videos by an anti-abortion group suggesting that Planned Parenthood officials discussed selling tissue and organs from aborted fetuses for profit. The group vehemently denies the allegation, saying the videos were heavily edited and misleading. Women who undergo abortions can choose to donate fetal tissue for medical research, the group said.

Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider but is barred by law from using federal funds for abortion services. Instead, the money is used for medical checkups, cancer screenings and birth control services.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that permanently defunding Planned Parenthood — which many conservatives want to do — would cost the federal government about $130 million over 10 years in increased Medicaid costs for thousands of unplanned births.

Conservative Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said he voted against McConnell's bill because it did not provide enough military funding.

"The consequences of ongoing military-budget cuts are immediate and dangerous," Cotton said. "Today, our Navy cannot keep an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, our Army and Marine Corps are losing thousands of battle-hardened troops to forced retirement, and our Air Force is flying the oldest and smallest fleet in its history. Put simply, our military is at its breaking point."

We will fight to defund Planned Parenthood, but we do not have the votes to win the battle right now. — Lindsey Graham (@GrahamBlog) September 24, 2015

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Republicans should stand up to Democrats and President Obama on Planned Parenthood, even if it leads to a shutdown.

"We can win if we take the case to the American people," Cruz wrote in an op-ed published Wednesday in POLITICO. "Show the Planned Parenthood videos. Stand united. If Obama follows through on his threat to veto funding for the federal government, we should force him to defend that radical position."

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, met with conservative members of the GOP caucus Thursday to talk about how to deal with government funding and Planned Parenthood.