Senate Rejects Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood, Rand Paul Doesn’t Hold Back

Molly Prince

The Senate rejected an amendment to the government spending bill Thursday that would prevent Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from receiving federal funding.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky proposed the provision, which was defeated 45-48 and required a 60-vote threshold to pass. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against it.

“While I am disappointed in the outcome of this vote, I will never apologize for standing up for life,” Paul said in response to the vote. “If it took exposing the preference of so many in my own party to continue reckless spending over protecting the innocent, it was a fight worth having.”

Earlier in the day, Paul slammed his Republican colleagues on the Senate floor for blocking his amendment, claiming that GOP leadership “favors bloated government spending more than they care about Planned Parenthood.”

“Planned Parenthood receives over $400 million of taxpayer money,” Paul argued. “The government, with a win and a nod, tells us that Planned Parenthood doesn’t spend the money on abortions, but everybody knows that the taxpayers are really cross-subsidizing Planned Parenthood’s abortion mills.”

“This appropriations bill before us exceeds the spending caps by nearly $100 million,” Paul continued. “Big-spending Republicans fear that blocking funding from Planned Parenthood would derail their plans to greatly expand the welfare-warfare state.”

Pro-life organizations praised Paul for his provision including March for Life and National Right To Life.

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