Fifty-five Republicans press Boehner for vote on Planned Parenthood

Fifty-five House Republicans sent a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Friday requesting a vote next week on legislation to defund Planned Parenthood. 

Led by conservative Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), the lawmakers argued that a vote is needed immediately. 

{mosads}“Accountability is crucial to the American people and we are grateful for the House Judiciary Committee’s and the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s investigations of Planned Parenthood,” they write.

“Even so, we think it is urgent to bring legislation to the floor before the August district work period that would halt federal resources to America’s primary abortion provider.”

A statement from Fleming’s office notes that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday started a fast-track process to bypass committees on a defunding bill.

Many Republican lawmakers have been lining up to call for cutting off federal funds to the group after two viral videos showed Planned Parenthood officials candidly discussing the price for fetal tissue donations for medical research. 

But House leadership says any legislative action will wait for the congressional investigations. “Let’s get the facts first,” Boehner said at a press conference Thursday.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has called for the Planned Parenthood official in the first video, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, to appear at a briefing with the committee before July 31. Planned Parenthood said in a letter this week that it is “still assessing” this request.  

More broadly, Planned Parenthood argues it has followed the law and points to its officials’ statements in the videos that they were looking for legal compensation for expenses, not profit.