Federal funding for Planned Parenthood will clearly be a flashpoint when Congress returns this week from its summer break.
But the fate of many other health programs, from the National Institutes of Health to efforts to reduce teen pregnancy, hang in the balance as well, as lawmakers decide whether and how to fund the government after the current fiscal year expires Sept. 30.
The Planned Parenthood fight could figure prominently in the coming legislative negotiation. Many GOP lawmakers, led by those running for president, have spent the summer pummeling the group for alleged mishandling of fetal tissue for research. They have vowed not to vote for any spending bill that allows federal funding for the organization, even if that means closing down the rest of the federal government. And that is despite the assertion last week from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that there aren't enough votesto approve defunding, given a likely veto from President Barack Obama.
[For more of this story, written by Julie Rovner, go to http://www.npr.org/sections/he...e-of-health-programs]
Comments (0)