Erick Erickson: Shut down gov’t over Planned Parenthood funding

Conservative political blogger Erick Erickson is urging Congress to shut down the government in October over taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.

“The budget and appropriations fights are forthcoming. If Barack Obama is willing to risk a government shutdown because he demands our tax dollars continue funding an organization that kills our children and sells their organs, we should have that fight,” he wrote in a blog post Wednesday evening on RedState.com, where he serves as editor-in-chief.

“Shut down the government if that is what it takes. Shut it down now. If we cannot stand on this high ground, we should not stand at all,” he added.

Erickson, influential among Tea Party Republicans, said Americans’ tax dollars “should not go to carving up kids and harvesting their organs.

He then slammed House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

{mosads}“John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are engaged in failure theater over the news. They are ensuring that votes to defund Planned Parenthood cannot make it out of Congress. They fear a Presidential veto,” he wrote.

Boehner and McConnell, however, have both expressed support for the intensifying effort to defund Planned Parenthood, though they haven’t said whether they would be willing to risk a government shutdown over it. 

Planned Parenthood is under fire as an anti-abortion group has leaked multiple videos showing officials from the organization discussing the transfer of fetal tissue and organs for medical research. Another video was leaked on Thursday.

On Wednesday, 18 House Republicans sent a letter to House GOP leaders pledging to oppose any spending bill that continues to fund Planned Parenthood.

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) has garnered support for her bill that would immediately defund the organization, but leaders did not schedule a floor vote before the House left for its August recess on Wednesday. The Senate is expected to vote on a similar bill next week before it leaves Washington for recess.

Republicans could instead choose to attach a provision to a spending package in September to defund Planned Parenthood then. If it’s attached to one, it could raise the threat of a government shutdown.

Congress must pass a new spending package by Oct. 1.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters on Thursday that “overwhelmingly, the Democrats will not support” a spending bill that would defund the organization.

Soon after Republicans won in the midterm elections last November, Erickson wrote a blog post titled “Shut. It. Down.”

Erickson said he wanted the GOP to use the shutdown strategy to defund some of Obama’s priorities.

“What I am suggesting is that the GOP pass everything except Obamacare funding and funding for any immigration actions the President wants to take,” he said.

—Mike Lillis contributed to this report.