Ted Cruz Plots Government Shutdown Fight Over Planned Parenthood

[playtime]

He said both parties want "an empty show vote" on defunding the family planning provider.

Washington -- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) thinks Republican leaders are bluffing when they say they want to defund Planned Parenthood, so he is enlisting Christian pastors across the nation to help mobilize voters to force his colleagues' hands and threaten a government shutdown.

Cruz implored more than a thousand pastors and religious leaders on Tuesday to "preach from the pulpit" against Planned Parenthood and rally public support for an amendment defunding the family provider in the must-pass federal budget bill in November. If Congress attaches the defunding amendment to the budget instead of holding a vote on the standalone bill, it cannot keep funding Planned Parenthood without shutting down the whole federal government.

"Here is the challenge," the presidential hopeful explained on the national conference call. "The leadership of both parties, both the Democrats and Republicans, want an empty show vote. They want a vote on Planned Parenthood that has no teeth or no consequence, which allows Republicans to vote for defunding, Democrats to vote for continuing funding, and nothing to change. But the leadership of both parties have publicly said they do not want the vote tied to any legislation that must pass."

Senate Republicans held one such "show vote" on defunding Planned Parenthood earlier this month, and Democrats predictably blocked it. GOP leaders are reportedly hoping to avoid the embarrassment of a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding and are searching for an alternate plan.

“We’ve been down this path before,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters earlier this month. “This is a tactic that’s been tried going back to the ’90s, frequently by Republican majorities that always have the same ending: that the focus is on the fact that the government is shut down, not on what the underlying issue that is being protested is."

Cruz said pastors should tell their congregations to call their members of Congress and insist that Republicans use the federal budget to defund Planned Parenthood. He said it would be President Barack Obama's fault if the government shuts down -- not the GOP's.

"It will be a decision of the president's and the president's alone whether he would veto funding for the federal government because of a commitment to ensuring taxpayer dollars continue to flow to what appears to be a national criminal organization," Cruz said.

Planned Parenthood receives about $500 million in annual public funding, which it uses to provide family planning services and Medicaid reimbursements to low-income patients. Abortions at Planned Parenthood are paid for separately -- the Hyde Amendment has prevented taxpayer dollars from being used toward abortions for more than four decades.

More: Ted Cruz Plots Government Shutdown Fight Over Planned Parenthood

I can't remember when Cruz tried to do anything to actually help America - instead of obstructing it.

Defunding PP IS helping America.

No ones tax dollars should go to abortion on demand if they oppose it.

No Federal dollars have paid for abortion since the 1970s.

Do try to keep up.

 

[Spare_change]

He said both parties want "an empty show vote" on defunding the family planning provider.

Washington -- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) thinks Republican leaders are bluffing when they say they want to defund Planned Parenthood, so he is enlisting Christian pastors across the nation to help mobilize voters to force his colleagues' hands and threaten a government shutdown.

Cruz implored more than a thousand pastors and religious leaders on Tuesday to "preach from the pulpit" against Planned Parenthood and rally public support for an amendment defunding the family provider in the must-pass federal budget bill in November. If Congress attaches the defunding amendment to the budget instead of holding a vote on the standalone bill, it cannot keep funding Planned Parenthood without shutting down the whole federal government.

"Here is the challenge," the presidential hopeful explained on the national conference call. "The leadership of both parties, both the Democrats and Republicans, want an empty show vote. They want a vote on Planned Parenthood that has no teeth or no consequence, which allows Republicans to vote for defunding, Democrats to vote for continuing funding, and nothing to change. But the leadership of both parties have publicly said they do not want the vote tied to any legislation that must pass."

Senate Republicans held one such "show vote" on defunding Planned Parenthood earlier this month, and Democrats predictably blocked it. GOP leaders are reportedly hoping to avoid the embarrassment of a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding and are searching for an alternate plan.

“We’ve been down this path before,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters earlier this month. “This is a tactic that’s been tried going back to the ’90s, frequently by Republican majorities that always have the same ending: that the focus is on the fact that the government is shut down, not on what the underlying issue that is being protested is."

Cruz said pastors should tell their congregations to call their members of Congress and insist that Republicans use the federal budget to defund Planned Parenthood. He said it would be President Barack Obama's fault if the government shuts down -- not the GOP's.

"It will be a decision of the president's and the president's alone whether he would veto funding for the federal government because of a commitment to ensuring taxpayer dollars continue to flow to what appears to be a national criminal organization," Cruz said.

Planned Parenthood receives about $500 million in annual public funding, which it uses to provide family planning services and Medicaid reimbursements to low-income patients. Abortions at Planned Parenthood are paid for separately -- the Hyde Amendment has prevented taxpayer dollars from being used toward abortions for more than four decades.

More: Ted Cruz Plots Government Shutdown Fight Over Planned Parenthood

I can't remember when Cruz tried to do anything to actually help America - instead of obstructing it.

Defunding PP IS helping America.

No ones tax dollars should go to abortion on demand if they oppose it.

No Federal dollars have paid for abortion since the 1970s.

Do try to keep up.

Leftist Lie # 183 ....

 

[playtime]

"...Cruz said pastors should tell their congregations to call their members of Congress and insist that Republicans use the federal budget to defund Planned Parenthood...."

And every one of them should lose their tax exempt status if they did.

 

[playtime]

He said both parties want "an empty show vote" on defunding the family planning provider.

Washington -- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) thinks Republican leaders are bluffing when they say they want to defund Planned Parenthood, so he is enlisting Christian pastors across the nation to help mobilize voters to force his colleagues' hands and threaten a government shutdown.

Cruz implored more than a thousand pastors and religious leaders on Tuesday to "preach from the pulpit" against Planned Parenthood and rally public support for an amendment defunding the family provider in the must-pass federal budget bill in November. If Congress attaches the defunding amendment to the budget instead of holding a vote on the standalone bill, it cannot keep funding Planned Parenthood without shutting down the whole federal government.

"Here is the challenge," the presidential hopeful explained on the national conference call. "The leadership of both parties, both the Democrats and Republicans, want an empty show vote. They want a vote on Planned Parenthood that has no teeth or no consequence, which allows Republicans to vote for defunding, Democrats to vote for continuing funding, and nothing to change. But the leadership of both parties have publicly said they do not want the vote tied to any legislation that must pass."

Senate Republicans held one such "show vote" on defunding Planned Parenthood earlier this month, and Democrats predictably blocked it. GOP leaders are reportedly hoping to avoid the embarrassment of a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding and are searching for an alternate plan.

“We’ve been down this path before,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters earlier this month. “This is a tactic that’s been tried going back to the ’90s, frequently by Republican majorities that always have the same ending: that the focus is on the fact that the government is shut down, not on what the underlying issue that is being protested is."

Cruz said pastors should tell their congregations to call their members of Congress and insist that Republicans use the federal budget to defund Planned Parenthood. He said it would be President Barack Obama's fault if the government shuts down -- not the GOP's.

"It will be a decision of the president's and the president's alone whether he would veto funding for the federal government because of a commitment to ensuring taxpayer dollars continue to flow to what appears to be a national criminal organization," Cruz said.

Planned Parenthood receives about $500 million in annual public funding, which it uses to provide family planning services and Medicaid reimbursements to low-income patients. Abortions at Planned Parenthood are paid for separately -- the Hyde Amendment has prevented taxpayer dollars from being used toward abortions for more than four decades.

More: Ted Cruz Plots Government Shutdown Fight Over Planned Parenthood

I can't remember when Cruz tried to do anything to actually help America - instead of obstructing it.

Defunding PP IS helping America.

No ones tax dollars should go to abortion on demand if they oppose it.

No Federal dollars have paid for abortion since the 1970s.

Do try to keep up.

Leftist Lie # 183 ....

Hyde Amendment Codification Act - Prohibits the expenditure for any abortion of funds authorized or appropriated by federal law or funds in any trust fund to which funds are authorized or appropriated by federal law .

Prohibits the use of federal funds for any health benefits coverage that includes abortion. (Currently, federal funds cannot be used for abortion services, and plans receiving federal funds must keep them segregated from any funds for abortion services.)

Excludes from such prohibitions an abortion if: (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest; or (2) the woman suffers from a physical disorder, injury, or illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, as certified by a physician.

S.142 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Hyde Amendment Codification Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Unless you object to the rare exceptions where it is performed, there is no lie.

 

[SwingVoter]

I support Planned Parenthood, but every time the government shuts down, seems like the economy improves and the budget deficit drops. Apple or Google shutting down would really kill the economy, but keeping bureaucrats at home doesn't have anywhere near the same impact.