Republicans on a key House panel shot down a measure that would have taken language to “defund” Planned Parenthood out of the reconciliation bill, but the two most politically vulnerable GOP members on the committee missed the vote entirely.
During the marathon markup in the Energy and Commerce Committee, Democrats introduced amendments designed to get Republicans to take uncomfortable votes for attack ads down the road. Nearly all committee Republicans voted against an amendment brought by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher to strike a measure in the bill that would prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds, even through Medicaid payments.
During the 2024 campaign, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Gabe Evans — like other Republicans at the time — avoided speaking about their stances on abortion. Neither lawmaker was in the room during the hour-and-a-half-long debate and did not vote on the amendment — even though they had been present and voting during the rest of the hearing.