Despite promising to defund Planned Parenthood, President Donald Trump signed a budget Friday, which was passed by the Republican-led Congress, that fully funds the nation’s largest abortion provider.
In a letter to pro-lifers during the election, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence said “I am committed to … Defunding Planned Parenthood as long as they continue to perform abortions, and reallocating their funding to community health centers that provide comprehensive health care for women.
While the budget provides more funding for community health centers, it also fully funds Planned Parenthood.
In fact, Trump has signed multiple continuing resolutions (CRs) that fully funded Planned Parenthood despite his campaign promise to defund it.
During the March for Life last month, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told the crowd, “In the House, we passed legislation to defund Planned Parenthood.” In May 2017, the House voted to defund Planned Parenthood through an Obamacare repeal, but the bill failed to clear Congress.
As CNSNews.com reported prior to the vote, pro-life groups called on Congress not to fund Planned Parenthood in the budget.
Dr. Alveda King, director of Civil Rights for the Unborn for Priests for Life, told CNSNews.com, “I do not support continuing to fund Planned Parenthood through the continuing resolution. I don’t want to see a government shutdown but I also don’t want to see $1.5 million a day flowing to the nation’s largest abortion provider.
“My prayer is that Congress will fund community health centers but withdraw funding from any organization that makes its money from the blood of the innocents,” King said.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said, “I think it’s repulsive that Republicans would continue to fund Planned Parenthood through any sort of continuing resolution for baby body parts. Their director was forced to resign. Other abortionists have been convicted of various criminal activities, botched abortions, we’ve recorded again and again.
“And no taxpayer funding should ever go to fund such a horrific criminal enterprise like Planned Parenthood. The Republicans talk about shutting down the government over building a wall. I say the most worthy thing you can shut down the government for is to defund Planned Parenthood,” Newman said.
Tom McClusky, vice president of government affairs with the March for Life, told CNSNews.com, “Continuing Resolutions, omnibuses and mega two year budgets are what happens when Congress has been bipartisanly dysfunctional.
“For the first time in years the House of Representatives passed Appropriation bills through regular order – however the Senate could not be bothered. The result is a continuation of Obamacare and continued taxpayer funding of a billion dollar abortion industry. Once again making Congress, and taxpayers, culpable, for hundreds of thousands of abortions,” McClusky said in a statement.