ABORTION/BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA)/PLANNED PARENTHOOD: “A push from the White House and congressional Republicans to add new antiabortion provisions into a sweeping spending bill has divided lawmakers as they work to reach a deal that will fund the government beyond mid-March.
Republican lawmakers want to expand restrictions that already prevent federal funding from going to abortions, and they also want to fully cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which has long been a target of conservatives.
But Democratic lawmakers said the demands are deal breakers they can’t support—and will battle with Republicans in the coming days over what is included in the spending bill needed before the government’s current funding expires on March 23.
Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House, argue their majorities should enable them to secure conservative policy wins that are key issues with their voters… But Democrats whose votes are critical for any spending deal agreement have said they consider the provisions to be major hurdles, which they are determined to block in the final stretch of negotiations.
While Republicans have sought in the past to curb Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, they now want to cut off all money the organization gets from federal programs… The standoff over abortion risks torpedoing a hard-fought bipartisan plan that would shore up the ailing Affordable Care Act markets.”
-Kristina Peterson and Stephanie Armour, “Abortion Provisions Lead to Tensions Over Spending Bill,” The Wall Street Journal online, Mar. 8, 2018 08:29pm