Senate Democrats Prioritize Funding Abortion Groups over Zika Help

By | June 28, 2016

Senate Democrats are blocking a $1.1 billion Zika package passed last week by the House due to it prohibiting funding to domestic and overseas abortion groups.

The House bill contained language that would require funding specific for healthcare for affected women and children be directed to hospitals or health clinics only, making abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood ineligible for any emergency Zika funding.

Republicans needed six of their Democrat colleagues to overcome a filibuster, however the bill failed the procedural vote 52-48.

Senator Roy Blunt(R-MO) responded with strong criticism to the stalling  — “Senate Democrats’ vote to block emergency funding for Zika response efforts is nothing short of shameful,” he said. Blunt’s statement went on to say that Democrats had “concocted a host of misrepresentations …to mask the fact that their opposition is solely a political calculation. This is a public health emergency, not a political opportunity.”

Democrat leadership penned a letter this week opposing the House version which was meant to be a compromise, and matched the $1.1 billion request in an earlier passed Senate bill. An earlier House version had a request of just over $600 million — however House Republicans matched the Senate request by finding unused funding in other federal programs including from the Affordable Healthcare Act.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had encouraged his Democrat colleagues to support the compromised House measure noting the limited time to act with a pending congressional recess.

“The agreement before us is a compromise with input from both sides”, he said. With Congress scheduled to recess in mid-July McConnell said “this could be the last opportunity to address Zika for weeks.”

With the election looming just months away and the abortion lobby being a powerful Democrat constituent, it is not surprising Zika help will take a backseat to the interests of abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

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