By Charles Switzer
3:36am PDT, May 9, 2025
Republicans Debate Federal Funding for Planned Parenthood
A group of moderate Republicans are reportedly
pushing to protect Planned Parenthood's federal funding as the GOP caucus in the House of Representatives debates what should be included in President
Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," according to
NOTUS.This reconciliation package is designed to push much of his agenda through Congress, and it's currently a point of contention within the party. However, not every conservative seems ready to push the president and party's more extreme ideological pursuits.
Here's what's happening with moderate Republicans and Planned Parenthood.
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The Fight to Preserve Federal Funding
Republican representatives, including
Mike Lawler, Brian Fitzpatrick and
Jen Kiggans, are all reportedly lobbying to continue sending federal tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, the country's largest provider of abortion services.
According to
NOTUS, these Republicans are emerging as key players in the debate over the future of federal funding for the organization.
"Moderate Republicans will likely be
anti-abortion advocates' biggest hurdle in their mission to ban federal funding from Planned Parenthood in a reconciliation package — and some are already voicing their opposition," the outlet reported.
Speaker Johnson's Stance and Opposition
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a staunch pro-life advocate, has already committed to activist groups that the reconciliation bill will redirect funds away from Planned Parenthood. However, this decision is facing resistance from within the conservative ranks.
Brian Fitzpatrick, stated his intention to raise concerns during a meeting on Tuesday, May 6. "There's other policy areas that we need to focus on," he remarked, indicating that he believes there are other important issues to address in the bill aside from defunding Planned Parenthood.
A Cautious Approach
Rep. Mike Lawler has remained more reserved in his public comments. When asked about the situation by reporters, he said, "Fundamentally, obviously, from the standpoint of providing health care to women, you know, I'm not for taking away people's health care."
He further observed, "Obviously, Planned Parenthood does provide a lot of services outside of abortion-related services, and so, you know, I'd have to see what they're proposing."
For some analysts, Lawler's comments suggest a more nuanced view, highlighting the importance of non-abortion-related healthcare services offered by Planned Parenthood.
Trump's Executive Order and Vance's Campaign Promise
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending the forced use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortions. This order revoked two executive actions taken by his predecessor following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
On the campaign trail last year, future Vice President J.D. Vance made it clear that the Trump-Vance administration would continue efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. "On the question of defunding Planned Parenthood, look, I mean our view is we don't think that taxpayers should fund late-term abortions," Vance said at the time. "That has been a consistent view of the Trump campaign the first time around. It will remain a consistent view."
Social Media Reaction
On social media, some users supported the moderates, saying that defunding Planned Parenthood would harm essential health services. Others have echoed the sentiments of pro-life advocates, urging Republicans to follow through on promises to end federal funding for abortion services.
One X commenter remarked, "I'm all for reducing taxpayer funding for organizations that promote abortions, but let's not forget the critical services Planned Parenthood provides for women's health. It's a complex issue."
Another user posted, "If Republicans can't get the job done on Planned Parenthood, they're failing the pro-life movement. This should be non-negotiable."
