On Friday the Senate passed H.J. Res. 43, with a little tie-breaking help from Vice President Mike Pence. The resolution overturned a last minute push by the Obama administration while Obama was still in office that forced states to fund Planned Parenthood, rather than choosing which healthcare organizations to support with taxpayer dollars.
As noted by Live Action News:
The resolution was sponsored by Congresswoman Diane Black in the House and Senator Joni Ernst in the Senate. Black and Ernst called Obama’s parting gift to Planned Parenthood an “11th hour rule to entrench federal funding for Planned Parenthood – the nation’s single largest provider of abortion.” The duo pledged to “continue to work together this year to undo the damage done by the Obama administration.”
Vice President Mike Pence was proud to cast the tie-breaking pro-life vote, as noted in his recent twitter post in which he stated, “It was my honor to break tie vote in Senate overturning last minute Obama rule & restoring state control over Title X family planning funds.”
It was my honor to break tie vote in Senate overturning last minute Obama rule & restoring state control over Title X family planning funds. pic.twitter.com/jebspF3F3K
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) March 30, 2017
The Obama administration was so shortsighted when they created the measure to protect Planned Parenthood funds that they didn’t consider the Congressional Review Act, which Congress used to amend it. Now that the GOP has overturned it, the only way to reinstate the rule is with a new law from Congress, signed by the president.
The Washington Post notes words of clarity referencing the resolution from Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), “It’s a simple statement of where we used to be, states could choose to have Planned Parenthood as part of their Title X funding [but] states should not be compelled to.”.
This conservative victory puts a little more power back into the state’s hands, according to The Blaze:
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, said in a statement, “Today, Congress is sending a Resolution to President Trump ensuring that states are not forced to fund America’s abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, with Title X tax dollars.”
This is great news for the pro life community, as conservative states now have the power to put Title X funds towards pro-life healthcare providers, such as community health clinics. Vice President Pence voted to give power back to the states and the American people, freeing them to again use taxpayer dollars as their consciences desire. This tie-breaking vote my Vice President Mike Pence brings the American people one step closer to restoring the national morality that so many voted for in the 2016 election. With abortion giant Planned Parenthood kept in check, many can start to see hope for an America that again recognizes and celebrates the value of life.
