Spending Bills, Dispute On Planned Parenthood Await Congress As Lawmakers Return
This month, Congress has a full plate as members seek to fund the government for the fiscal year that starts in October. But conservatives are calling for an end to government funding of Planned Parenthood, and GOP leaders are trying to find a way to avoid a government shutdown.
Politico:
Countdown To Shutdown Begins
Congress returns from its long summer vacation Tuesday to an all-out, three-week sprint to avert a government shutdown – and no apparent plan yet to quell the conservative rebellion over Planned Parenthood that has dramatically increased the odds of a closure. The mad dash – just 10 legislative work days to solve the shutdown crisis, in between major votes on the Iran nuclear deal and the first-ever papal address to a joint session of Congress – presents a major test for Republican leaders in both chambers who vowed to end crisis-driven legislating. (Kim, 9/7)
The New York Times:
Prospect Of Another Shutdown Looms As Congress Girds For Fights Over Spending
When Congress returns for business on Tuesday, lawmakers have scheduled a mere 12 legislative days to find a bipartisan compromise to keep the government open, vote on one of the most contentious foreign policy matters in a generation, reconcile the future of funding for Planned Parenthood and roll out the red carpet — and a few thousand folding chairs — to greet Pope Francis. What could go wrong? (Steinhauer, 9/7)
The Washington Post:
Defunding Backers May Induce Shutdown
The last thing Republican leaders want is another shutdown quagmire. But a group of conservatives — led by GOP presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — has vowed to oppose any government spending bill that includes Planned Parenthood funds. That includes a stop-gap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), that needs to pass before Sept. 30. (Snell, 9/4)
The Associated Press:
Congress Returns To Weighty List Of Unfinished Business
Some tea party lawmakers say they will only back legislation to keep the government open in the new budget year, which begins Oct. 1, if the measure also terminates Planned Parenthood's federal money — even if their battle with Obama over the issue should spiral into a government shutdown. "I'm for doing everything" to halt funds for Planned Parenthood, said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. "There is no way they can get taxpayer support." Conservative groups such as Heritage Action are backing the strategy, though establishment anti-abortion organizations aren't throwing their influence behind it. (Taylor and Fram, 9/5)
USA Today:
Congress Returns To Yet Another Spending Crisis, Fears Of Government Shutdown
Members of Congress return from summer recess facing a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the federal government, a deadline they are certain to miss, as they have each of the past 18 years. The question is: Will the government shut down Oct. 1, or can lawmakers agree to a temporary spending plan while they argue about a longer-term solution? (Singer, 9/7)
The Hill:
Conservatives Prepare To Make Stand On Planned Parenthood
The make-or-break moment for House conservatives to defund Planned Parenthood is here. Outraged by undercover videos on fetal tissue donation, conservatives are pushing to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood as part of legislation that would avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1. ... But with Congress set to return to Washington this week, it remains to be seen whether [Rep. Mick] Mulvaney and his allies can gather enough support to force the hand of leadership. (Marcos, 9/7)
The Washington Post:
Ted Cruz To Mitch McConnell: Don’t Schedule Legislation To Fund Planned Parenthood
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who is taking a lead role in a campaign to end taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood, will send Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a letter next week urging him not to schedule a vote on or help push legislation that gives federal money to the organization. (Zezima, 9/4)
Politico:
Boehner's Future As Speaker In Doubt
Something has changed for John Boehner. Figures in his close-knit circle of allies are starting to privately wonder whether he can survive an all-but-certain floor vote this fall to remain speaker of the House. And, for the first time, many top aides and lawmakers in the House do not believe he will run for another term as House leader in 2017. ... consider what he faces this fall: a quixotic but determined fight to defund Planned Parenthood, a potential government shutdown, a deadline to raise the federal debt ceiling or risk default, and a contentious showdown over highway spending. Boehner's aides say they expect a vote to oust him, formally known as a motion to vacate the chair. (Sherman and Bresnahan, 9/8)
Even as the question of funding is being considered on Capitol Hill, Planned Parenthood is facing another challenge from the health law.
Reuters:
Planned Parenthood Faces Unexpected Challenge From Obamacare
Many formerly uninsured women who once depended on Planned Parenthood for low-cost access to birth control, abortions and other reproductive healthcare have gotten coverage under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, making them less reliant on the organization’s 700 clinics. In many states, Planned Parenthood is losing clients as newly insured patients turn to medical providers included in their health plan's networks, according to data provided to Reuters and interviews with more than two dozen of its affiliates. (Mincer, 9/8)
In other congressional news -
The Hill:
On ObamaCare, GOP Asks: Where Do We Go From Here?
While 2015 was supposed to be the year that saw the demise of ObamaCare, the new GOP majority has so far failed to send a single repeal bill to the president’s desk. But there is one last hope before the 2016 elections: repealing some of the most controversial pieces of the law using a rare budget procedure known as reconciliation. Using that tool, the GOP-led Congress can push legislation through the Senate with just 51 votes. So far, creating the gameplan for reconciliation has been messy. ... [Wyoming Sen. John] Barrasso, and others, acknowledged that in the end, reconciliation is a chance to boost the party’s chances in future elections. If a reconciliation bill passes this fall, it tees up the healthcare law for the 2016 presidential debates — the arena where most Republicans believe the next ObamaCare fight will play out. (Ferris, 9/6)
The Associated Press:
Congress Wades Into Toxic Mine Spill Caused By EPA Crew
The focus on a toxic mine spill that fouled rivers in three Western states shifts to Congress this week as lawmakers kick off a series of hearings into how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accidentally unleashed the deluge of poisoned water. Against that political backdrop, uncertainty lingers over the long-term dangers to public health and the environment from an event that tainted rivers in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah with heavy metals. A month after the spill, EPA claims that the threat has eased are still met with skepticism from the Navajo Nation, whose president said many farmers have lost a season's work and trust in the EPA has evaporated. (Brown, 9/7)
