The Senate voted Thursday to repeal key provisions of Obamacare and strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood, approving legislation that is sure to be vetoed by President Obama.
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GOP leaders initially encountered objections from some moderate Republicans leery of cutting Planned Parenthood’s funds, as well as from presidential contenders Sens.
“Today, Senate Republicans fulfilled our promise to end the negative consequences of Obamacare by repealing the president’s unaffordable health law”, said Utah Sen.
Democrats say repeal would destroy a program that has reduced the number of uninsured Americans by around 16 million, let families’ policies cover children until age 26 and guarantees coverage for people with pre-existing illnesses. This is the first time the Republican-controlled House and Senate have used a procedure aimed at bypassing a filibuster by Senate Democrats’ to get a bill to the president’s desk. The vast majority of Planned Parenthood visits are to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and obtain birth control.
Donnelly said at the time he could not “in good faith support federal funding for this organization until the questions of whether other clinics are complying with federal and state laws are answered”.
The legislation would repeal sections of Obamacare that mandate individuals to purchase health insurance and employers with more than 50 employees to provide it and would eliminate all fines for those that fail to comply.
“There were over four million visits to Planned Parenthood clinics a year ago, and over 90 percent of this was basic women’s health care and not abortions”, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) said on the House floor during the September vote.
Senators blocked efforts by Democrats and by Collins to remove the language targeting Planned Parenthood. The bill has to pass the House of Representatives, but, like, come on-the House won’t even read the damn thing before sending it to President Obama.
The overall healthcare bill only needed 51 votes to pass instead of the usual 60 because it was being considered under a special budget reconciliation process.
The fact that Senate Republicans chose to hold this vote during the holiday season spoke volumes about their priorities. The measure failed, 48-52. Democratic presidential candidate Sen.
The vote also comes just a week after a shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado that left three people dead. Both bills failed on a procedural vote raised by the opposing party. Sen.
“Collins has consistently opposed defunding Planned Parenthood because it provides important family planning, cancer screenings, and basic preventive health care services for millions of women across the country”, Clark said.
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“It is absurd and cruel to throw out these gains and go back to a system that rations health care to the healthy and wealthy while leaving those who are less fortunate out in the cold”.
