WASHINGTON — Though Congress ultimately passed a “continuing resolution” (CR) Wednesday funding the federal government, including abortion provider Planned Parenthood, for the next two months, it wasn’t without significant pushback from Alabama’s congressional Republicans, who all voted against the bill.
The CR has become an oft-used short-term funding mechanism that essentially circumvents the normal budgeting and appropriations process by putting lawmakers into do-or-die funding situations. The CR passed Wednesday is particularly short term, running out on December 11th.
Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL5), in particular took issue with this method of appropriating federal funds. “Continuing resolutions are the absolute worst way to fund the federal government,” Brooks said in a press release after the vote. “They continue past spending habits that do not reflect changing circumstances and priorities. They continue America’s irresponsible deficit spending. They are last-second spending bills timed to risk calamity in order to force bad policy and pork spending down the throats of otherwise responsible Senators and Congressmen.
“Continuing resolutions wreak havoc on communities like those that surround Redstone Arsenal and Marshall Space Flight Center because they inhibit the ability of federal government contractors to let military and NASA contracts that provide jobs to more than 30,000 Tennessee Valley workers. How can government contracting officers award contracts when they only have funding for days, weeks, or, in this case, two months?”
Both of Alabama’s Senators voted against the bill as well.
“While I believe that it is critical for the government to stay open and running, I opposed this short-term funding measure because it does not put an end to taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood,” said Sen. Shelby. “Senate Democrats have continually blocked our efforts to ensure that taxpayer dollars are focused on women’s health care and protecting the innocent lives of the unborn. I will continue to support pro-life policies while also pushing for conservative priorities in our appropriations measures.”
Sen. Sessions delivered a speech on the floor of the senate last week imploring Congress to “do its duty” and use the power of the purse to defund Planned Parenthood and protect life, but his remarks fell on deaf ears.
Senate GOP leadership said they would not take drastic measures to pass a bill defunding the organization, fearing the blame would fall on Republicans if a partial shutdown of government services occurred because President Obama vetoed their bill.
Alabama’s Republican congressmen unanimously stood against the funding measure.
Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL1): “As I have said before, I refuse to make a habit of voting for short-term spending bills that fail to address our nation’s spending issues and continue the dangerous cycle of governing from crisis to crisis. It has been over four years since the Senate has passed an individual appropriations bill, and that is the root of the problem. We must return to passing individual, targeted funding bills that allow Congress to set national priorities, and this bill failed to do that.”
“The federal government should not be sending a single penny to Planned Parenthood or any group that performs abortions. The House has now acted on multiple occasions to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and it is the Senate’s turn to follow our lead.”
Congresswoman Martha Roby (R-AL2): “I have always been upfront with those I represent about the low likelihood of defunding Planned Parenthood, especially in a stop-gap spending bill. Pro-life advocates in my state and around this country understand the math. And, while they hope Senate Democrats will change their hearts, they don’t really expect them to. What they do expect is for us to try; to fight to the end; to exhaust every possible option in our effort to stop their tax dollars from flowing to this organization.”
Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL4): “This afternoon I cast a vote against the Continuing Resolution that was before the House of Representatives. My no vote was for one reason; in that this legislation continues to fully fund Planned Parenthood. In good conscience I could not vote to continue the flow of taxpayer dollars to an organization that engages in something so horrific as selling parts of aborted babies.
“Let me be clear, I don’t support a government shut down. However, this was simply a vote to do what’s right. I, along with my fellow Republicans, was willing to fund every department, every service and every agency of the federal government except for Planned Parenthood. It is hard to believe the Democrats in the Senate would filibuster continued government funding for the entire federal government for one program like Planned Parenthood.”
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL7), Alabama’s lone Democrat, voted to approve the bill.
“Congress cannot continue to govern crisis-by-crisis. We narrowly averted a government shutdown with today’s vote, and that’s not a position where we should be. The American people should expect more from the leaders they elected to serve them.
“I voted in favor of a Continuing Resolution that maintains government funding through December 11, 2015. I am cautiously optimistic that Congress can come up with a long-term solution before the December deadline, and I urge my colleagues to put aside partisan politics in order to do what’s best for our nation.”
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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