Paul Ryan: ObamaCare vote will involve defunding Planned Parenthood


House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Thursday that Congress will vote to defund Planned Parenthood in the same reconciliation bill being used to repeal ObamaCare, meaning Republicans will need just a simple majority to pass it rather than a 60-vote supermajority of senators.
"I think the anti-choice movement sees smooth sailing," Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) told BuzzFeed News last week in anticipation of the move. Planned Parenthood expects about 40 percent of its funding could be cut if the defunding measure passes, The Washington Post reports. The organization received $553 million from the government in 2014.
Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider, and also offers women's health services such as sexually transmitted disease screenings and treatment, pregnancy tests and prenatal care, breast exams, contraception, and sexual education. Donald Trump would be expected to sign the bill despite having voiced some support of Planned Parenthood in the past.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures