This week both houses of Congress passed a bill to repeal the controversial Affordable Care Act and to also de-fund the Planned Parenthood organization.
The bill passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday on a vote of 240 to 181. Last month the bill passed in the Senate by a margin of 52-47. Neither margin is large enough to override the veto President Barack Obama is expected to give the bill.
In an interview last week with the Elizabethton Star regarding his plans and predictions for the new year, U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, M.D., (R-Tenn.) said the first order of business for the House of Representatives in the new year would be passing a measure to repeal the ACA, which is commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” Roe said the bill would be passed using a reconciliation measure, which would only require a simple majority vote rather than a two-thirds majority.
As Roe predicted, the House took up debate this week and passed the bill to repeal the ACA, adding to it a measure to de-fund Planned Parenthood, a move Republican’s have called for since a series of videos were circulated online purportedly showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of aborted fetal tissues.
“For the first time since the Obamacare was signed by the president, the House and Senate have sent a repeal bill to President Obama’s desk,” Roe said. “The bill also redirects money from Planned Parenthood to community health centers.”
In the wake of the controversial Planned Parenthood videos, Roe spoke several times regarding his desire to de-fund the organization.
“As an OB-GYN who delivered nearly 5,000 babies through my medical practice, I was heartbroken, sickened and appalled by the allegations against Planned Parenthood earlier this year,” Roe said. “We should all be able to agree that tax dollars should not go to any organization that breaks our laws, which is why I strongly support redirecting funds from Planned Parenthood to community health centers.”
The measure passed by Congress would take funding currently used to fund Planned Parenthood and channel it into other avenues to provide needed women’s health services, a move Roe said he fully supports.
“I know firsthand how important it is for vulnerable populations to have access to health care, but I also know that abortions and mutilating the bodies of babies to sell them for parts are not preventative health care services,” he added. “Our tax money would be better spent by centers dedicated to delivering true health care services to women, and I’m glad the House is keeping their promise to the American people by sending these important provisions to the President’s desk.”
With the anticipation that the President will veto the bill and knowing that the Republicans cannot get enough votes to override the veto, some Democrats are dismissing the bill as part of the political struggle in Washington. However, the passage of the bill by both houses of Congress proves that a Republican Congressional majority could deliver a measure to repeal the controversial health care law to a Republican president even while facing united opposition from Democrats.