“On Defunding Planned Parenthood,” Letter by Robin Sertell, Chair, Montanans for Life
On Defunding Planned Parenthood
On Independence Day, President Trump signed a reconciliation bill, affectionately known as “The Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB), into law. This massive piece of legislation brought many challenges in both the House and Senate, not the least of which was the initial proposal to “Defund Planned Parenthood.” Like most bills, the BBB went through a number of changes and amendments as it journeyed through its process, including changes to the section dealing with Planned Parenthood. Government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements all fund Planned Parenthood with our tax dollars, despite the Hyde Amendment specifically preventing tax monies from funding abortions. Originally, the bill contained language that would prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving any of these grants, contracts, or reimbursements for ten full years. The hope was that during those ten years, formal investigations could be launched into Planned Parenthood, bringing hard data to light that would “debar” the abortion giant. To “debar” means simply that it is rendered ineligible to receive funding, in this case due to misuse of funds.
Unfortunately, the Senate Parliamentarian chose to project her beliefs onto the bill, which brought the ten-year defunding down to a single year. Then, the House stayed up all night in a sordid show of despotism when the BBB reached the House Floor. Pictures circulated of Congressmen on their knees and recordings of howling, yelling – and even mooing. Yes, you read that correctly. Mooing. Like a cow. Also included was Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ eight-hour and forty-four minute long diatribe on how the BBB would do all sorts of horrible things, in his leftist imagination. Your tax dollars at work, folks! If you’re interested in watching an overview of the gory details, click here. And yet, after all the theatrics, the BBB passed 218-214. In its final form, the BBB will not allow Planned Parenthood to receive Medicaid reimbursements, which will amount to roughly $500 million annually, for one year. They will still have the grants and contracts.
The BBB is not a true budget bill, but is designed to reconcile the previous administration’s budget to the current one. The reconciliation process is slightly different than regular bills, and requires a lower vote threshold. In spite of all the hype, all the fear-mongering, and even mooing, the voting on the BBB is finished. However, our work is only beginning. You see, removing a year’s worth of Medicaid reimbursements from Planned Parenthood’s robust war chest is a minor win, but will not serve to save babies. As a matter of fact, while we do celebrate this victory, we must also be steady in prayer and preparation for the next phase, because we know Planned Parenthood will only use this to regroup. Of course, no good pro-life deed goes unpunished, as the abortion giant has already sued to reverse this.
Next steps include an investigation into almost $90M in COVID Paycheck Relief funds that are alleged to have been improperly given to Planned Parenthood, thanks to Senators Joni Ernst and Rand Paul. We will continue to work with our Senators and Representatives to bring truth to light regarding the abortion vendor’s practices. We covet your prayers, and will continue to keep you posted. While the final edition of the BBB’s one year pause in Medicaid reimbursements is a far cry from a ten-year-long hiatus of all grants, contracts, and reimbursements, we do celebrate this victory and pray for more to come.
Robin Sertell, Chair, Montanans for Life
