Right-wing leaders turn up heat on Republicans as GOP ignores their demands
Republicans in Congress are already running into a problem as they craft their next reconciliation bill: the demands of anti-abortion activists.
According to NOTUS, "As congressional Republicans prepare to start the budget reconciliation process for a second time to fund the president’s immigration agenda, anti-abortion leaders are hoping it’s an opportunity to extend their push to effectively defund Planned Parenthood for longer. Last year’s reconciliation bill initially attempted to bar federal funding from going to abortion providers for 10 years. After the Senate parliamentarian effectively disqualified that duration, Republicans were successful in defunding for one year, which has led to multiple Planned Parenthood clinic closures."
The deadline for that ban is coming up in just a few months, and anti-abortion groups are warning if Republicans fail to extend it, it could further demoralize their voters from turning up at the polls.
“You don’t see the people who want to see more military spending or support a flat tax out there door knocking," said Kristi Hamrick, a senior leader at for Students for Life Action. "The social conservatives really are the ground game of the Republican Party, and that means pro-life, that means pro-family, that means pro-support for children. That’s the kind of thing that people are looking for.”
Meanwhile, March for Life Action "is focused on activating its grassroots network to pressure Republicans to support defunding Planned Parenthood," with leader Jennie Lichter saying their officials are "engaged and very active" with lawmakers.
This comes as Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), one of the Senate's most anti-abortion lawmakers, is raising h--- against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for not working hard enough to exclude Planned Parenthood from Title X family planning grants, which are another major way the medical group receives funding.