January 6, 2015 – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that substantially defunds Planned Parenthood and strips key provisions of Obamacare. H.R. 3762, Restoring American’s Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, restricts funding that comes from mandatory spending programs, like Medicaid, from being given to entities that provide abortion. The bill also repeals penalties tied to the individual mandate and employer mandate so individuals and employees can refuse to participate in health care plans that cover abortions and violate their conscience. The bill has already passed the U.S. Senate and will now be sent to the President’s desk.

President of Texas Values Action, Jonathan Saenz, made this statement on today’s vote in the House:

“We are thankful Congress has finally listened to the people by defunding the barbaric practices of Planned Parenthood. After seeing the horrific videos of Planned Parenthood selling baby body parts, hearing the testimonies in our own State Senate investigation hearing, as well as recent Congressional hearings, there is no question: Planned Parenthood should never receive another dime of taxpayer funding. We are also grateful Congress recognizes the rights of citizens and employers to refuse to pay for the killing of the unborn by repealing one of the most unconstitutional provisions of Obamacare. We urge the President to go beyond partisan politics and reject Planned Parenthood’s blood-filled pocketbook by signing this bill into law. Should the President reject this common sense bill, we urge Congress to act courageously and override the veto.”

Senator Ted Cruz who has been a pro-life leader in the Senate and leader in the efforts to repeal Obamacare, made this statement after the Senate voted on the bill December 3rd:

“The vote we took today is a significant step towards repealing every word of Obamacare.  This bill repeals as much of that failed law as we can under arcane Senate rules and the narrow guidelines of the budget.  I am also encouraged that this bill prohibits taxpayer funds from going to abortion-providers.  This bill is a substantial improvement over the original House bill, and I’m grateful to Senate conservatives and Senate leadership for joining me in making it so.”

This year, Texas withdrew Planned Parenthood’s tax-payer Medicaid funds for “a series of serious Medicaid program violations” including: Violating federal laws by “altering the timing or method of an abortion,” “Not comply[ing] with mandatory ‘universal precautions,” including the use of “protective barriers,’ required whenever anyone handles ‘blood’” and failing “To comply with the minimum standards that mandatory training requires with regard to these critical public health and safety issues.”

About Texas Values Action

Texas Values Action is the 501(c)(4) advocacy arm of Texas Values, a non-profit organization dedicated to standing for faith, family, and freedom in Texas. More information is available at txvaluesaction.org.