The amendment, which is a part of a legislative effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act – President Barack Obama’s signature health care law – will nearly certainly be vetoed when the bill ends up in the Oval Office.
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In a 52-47 vote, the Senate passed a fast-track measure Thursday created to unravel key ObamaCare provisions and defund Planned Parenthood for one year.
FoxNews.com reports that, though the bill has passed in the Senate and is expected to also pass in the House, President Obama has said he will veto it. Congress has voted dozens of times to repeal or weaken the health law and repeatedly against Planned Parenthood’s funding, but a bill has never reached the White House for veto.
With just a 54-46 edge, Republicans had previously failed to push such legislation through the Senate. It also repeals the Cadillac and medical device taxes and Medicaid expansion and tax credits and removes the federal government’s authority to run the exchanges. Those two provisions would take effect in two years, giving Republicans until after the 2016 election to come up with a new plan to replace the existing program.
The bill also would terminate the roughly $450 million yearly in federal dollars that go to Planned Parenthood, about a third of its budget.
H.R. 3762 prohibits federal funding to groups that receive over $350 million and perform abortions in cases other than rape, incest, or life of the mother.
The vote comes after anti-abortion activists released videos earlier this year allegedly showing organization officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue, which sent GOP officials and conservatives into an uproar. The GOP lawmakers believe that once the bill becomes law, it might open doors for the introduction of a new Republican health care law.
The vote paves the way for final passage of the ObamaCare repeal package later Thursday. Senate minority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said of Republicans, according to the Guardian. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America was surprised by the decision of the Senate.
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Laguens referred to a shooting last Friday by a gunman that left three dead.
