Senate Republicans Scramble to Avoid Votes on Trump Administration Gag Rules
For Immediate Release: Sept. 18, 2019
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leadership is scrambling to rush through a vote on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) and State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) spending bills today in order to avoid members having to take a public vote on the Trump administration’s Title X and global gag rules. After abruptly cancelling a scheduled committee vote last week on both the LHHS and SFOPS bills to avoid bipartisan votes blocking the Title X and global gag rules, Senate Republican leadership is once again trying to force through legislation and avoid having to take a public stance on policies that strip people of their health and rights.
Just last week new polling showed that voters in Arizona, Colorado and key swing Congressional districts nationwide oppose the Trump administration’s Title X gag rule, and are less likely to support legislators that don’t act to block it.
Statement from Jacqueline Ayers, Vice President, Government Relations & Public Policy, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
“Republican leadership is terrified of being forced to take a public stand on the Trump administration’s harmful and widely opposed Title X and global gag rules. We thank our reproductive health champions, especially Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, for their relentless efforts to ensure these bills protect Title X and end the most extreme version of the global gag rule that we’ve ever seen.
“Senate Republican leadership is ignoring the will of the people by forcing votes on bills that bypassed a bipartisan process and do not counter the harmful domestic and global gag rules, and it is telling that they will fail.”
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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.