Congress is racing to avert a government shutdown next week when the budget year ends and a temporary funding bill is required to keep agencies operating.
But the once-routine job of passing a stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution has been drawn into a battle over Planned Parenthood and its involvement in the practice of procuring tissue from aborted fetuses for research purposes.
Some conservatives want to use the must-pass funding bill — and the threat of a government shutdown if it doesn’t pass — to try to take away taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, which receives about $500 million a year from the government for providing health services at almost 700 clinics across the country.
The idea is reminiscent of a failed attempt by Republicans two years ago to use a must-pass measure to try to block implementation of the health care law. That showdown led to a 16-day partial shutdown that GOP leaders are keen to avoid this time, especially as the presidential campaign draws closer. Hanging over it all is the weakened political standing of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who is under fire from some tea party conservatives who say he is not tough enough in battling President Barack Obama.
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WHY IS A STOPGAP FUNDING BILL NEEDED?
Congress has failed to pass a single one of the 12 annual appropriation bills, which are caught in a stand-off between Democrats and Republicans over the amount of spending. So, with the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, a stopgap bill is needed for the daily operating budgets of almost every federal agency. Such measures used to be routine but have become more challenging since tea party lawmakers began viewing them as potential vehicles for challenging Obama.
Usually the House passes the stopgap measure first, but GOP leaders appear skittish of angering tea party forces. So Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — after a failed attempt to break a Democratic filibuster of a stopgap measure that would also cut off Planned Parenthood’s federal funds — appears ready to move a second one through the Senate this week or next that’s free of the controversy.
“We have to push forward — and we will,” McConnell said Monday.
The idea is that the House would have no option other than to pass the measure or spark a shutdown that the great majority of Republicans fear could harm the party.
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IF THERE’S A SHUTDOWN, DOES PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOSE ITS MONEY?
No. Medicaid funding, which accounts for the great majority of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding, would go ahead.
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WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE’S A SHUTDOWN?
Actually, the government doesn’t shut down, at least not the essential parts. So while national parks and Smithsonian museums will shutter, the military, airport security, FBI agents and the Border Patrol will remain on duty. And benefit programs including Social Security, Medicare, food stamps and Medicaid (including payments to Planned Parenthood for services to the poor) will continue on autopilot. However, an extended closure would cause federal workers to see delays in getting paid.
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WHAT IS PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACCUSED OF?
Anti-abortion lawmakers have gone after Planned Parenthood’s funding for years, but the debate has intensified in recent weeks after the release of videos that have focused attention on the group’s practice of providing fetal tissue to researchers.
The Center for Medical Progress, which recorded the hidden camera videos, accuses Planned Parenthood of profiting from selling fetal organs. That would violate a federal criminal statute that lets providers recover only their expenses. They also say Planned Parenthood is altering abortion procedures to better recover usable tissue.
Planned Parenthood has apologized for comments in the videos but claims it has broken no laws.
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ANY PREDICTIONS?
A shutdown would almost certainly be avoided if House leaders like Boehner were to call for a vote on a traditional funding bill that’s free of the Planned Parenthood dispute. Democrats would help pass such a measure, and some in Congress think that’ll be the last-minute outcome, especially if the Senate passes one first. But Boehner is plainly skittish — he would have otherwise advanced a stopgap measure by now — so one can’t be sure.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
Both the democrats, and republicans are bought and payed for oil company,drug company, and aluminum can company stooges, they don’t work for us, we have a capitalist gov.
I guess you haven’t heard of Jesus having an army to fight the Antichrist Gov. are you going to be in Jesus’s army? The antichrist gov. is our US gov. run by the greedy company’s that are destroying our world
I ask people What caused this economic depression? no one can tell me, well do you know? high gas prices did, when the price of gas goes up so does the price of everything else, and the only thing that will bring us out of this depression is free energy , so force the auto company’s to make only water to hydrogen cars and trucks and conversion kits to change the pieces of junk fuel injected, and diesel trucks to run on hydrogen with switches to shut off the fuel injectors, and the fuel pump, don’t do this now and the economy will collapse soon, when our bought and payed capitalist Gov. goes bankrupt Tell every one not to buy a new car, and tell them to tell others, tell them they must do both. Don’t buy a new car, or truck., free energy is the only thing that will bring our economy around, like it was in the 50s ,60s
Cancer society’s are not doing any research, because they found cures for cancer way back in the 1930’s, and you won’t be giving them any money if they come out with a cure, they are the biggest mass murders, and you are paying them to kill you with chemo, and surgery, they can’t make any money curing you, catch 22, the best cure for cancer is in a book Encyclopedia of healing Juices, by John Heinerman, page 141 under Grape/ raisin juice, a man diagnosed with cancer didn’t do the murdering chemo, he buckled down and eat his fruits and vegetables, and killed all of his cancer, red fruits and vegetables, have a substance called lycopene that will kill cancer, and keep you from getting cancer, pore nutrient is what causes cancer, and a host of other illnesses so eat your fruits and vegetables, with your meat. a good balanced diet.
#1 cause of Alzheimer’s is aluminum poisoning, take all cookware to recycling, and don’t buy anything in aluminum cans, spread the word to every one, when we stop buying they will have to make iron cans, and cookware, so spread the word and tell those you tell to spread the word also. #2 cause is iodine deficiency, that cause’s bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, suicides, eat fish, and yogurt 2 to 3 times a week spacing them out every 2 to 3 days, because iodine will be depleted out of your body in 2 to 3 days
The flu shots have been tested out to have 25 mg of mercury per shot, they tested to have formaldehyde, ethylene glycol ( anti freeze ) and aluminum the #1cause of Alzheimer’s, ADD and ADHD, .The drug company’s pills are coated with aluminum oxide, they are slowly making you brain dead zombies, to give you a strong immune system from the flu, colds, and a host of other germs, and bacteria, you want to get Garlic, powder, and or minced and season with a little almost every day, all nutrients will be depleted out of your body in two to three days so you need a little almost every day, a garlic container should last a person 8 to 10 months.
Diabetes is one of the biggest medical scams, it can be cured with a little cinnamon almost every day, like iodine it will be depleted in 2 to 3 days, so a little almost every other day will keep your blood sugar level normal .
There’s a 200 mile per gallon carburetor sitting in the patient office collecting dust bought up by the oil company’s, Volkswagen has a 264 miles per gallon diesel but it’s not coming here, tell everyone not to buy any new car that gets less than 40 miles per gallon, and tell those you tell to tell others, continuing to tell everyone and we will boycott the making of these pieces of junk low mileage cars and trucks, and force the auto company’s to make kits to run cars on Hydrogen from water electrolyzer producing all the hydrogen with the alternator on your car / truck this is possible with two switches to shut off the fuel pump, and fuel injectors to change these pieces of junk cars, and trucks to hydrogen. boycott the auto company’s tell everyone, and tell them to continue telling people don’t buy a new car, or truck, also tell everyone to boycott aluminum cans , and cookware, they autopsied alzheimer’s patients and found aluminum nodules on the front lobes of their brains, aluminum poisoning also causes ADD, ADHD , and a host of other mental illness, also they found out that Iodine deficiency causes schizophrenia, bi-polar, depression, suicide, so eat fish 2 to 3 times a week, or take iodine pills every 2 to 3 days