House conservatives have been fighting for months for bigger spending cuts in the reconciliation bill. But there’s one thing they don’t want to touch, even if it likely increases the budget deficit: defunding Planned Parenthood.
“We should defund Planned Parenthood,” said Rep. Chip Roy, who has been unwavering in his opposition to the bill. “We should decrease the deficit in other ways.”
The Congressional Budget Office estimated recently that banning Planned Parenthood from receiving any sort of federal funds is the only health-related measure in the reconciliation bill that would increase the budget deficit. Over the next 10 years, defunding Planned Parenthood would cost $300 million.