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.
Miller-Meeks downplayed her past support for a near-total federal abortion ban, and Evans, a freshman House Republican who said he opposes Roe v. Wade, said he forgot how he voted on a 2020 ballot initiative in Colorado that added a right to abortion in the state’s constitution.
The offices of Miller-Meeks and Evans did not respond to NOTUS’ requests for comments as to why they missed this portion of the markup.
That the language will stay in the reconciliation bill could threaten Republicans’ ability to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
Speaker Mike Johnson can only lose three votes if there’s full attendance in the House, and already at least three moderate Republicans, all in competitive districts, have privately told the speaker they oppose defunding Planned Parenthood via reconciliation, as NOTUS previously reported
During the debate, Democrats focused on how barring Planned Parenthood from receiving any sort of federal funds can impact patients’ ability to access non-abortion-related services, including birth control, STI testing and cancer screenings.
Republicans “want to punish Planned Parenthood because they provide a service that they don’t agree with, one service out of many services,” said Rep. Nanette Barragán.
According to Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report, abortion services made up 4% of the medical services the organization provides. The majority of the medical services Planned Parenthood offers are STI testing and treatment and contraception, which amount to 78%.
The reconciliation bill explicitly states that nonprofit organizations that “primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care” and also provide abortions are not allowed to receive any federal funds — language that applies to Planned Parenthood.
While the current attempt does not name Planned Parenthood, Democrats argued during the debate that the specific wording only targets Planned Parenthood.
“The way this is written, the only organization that it would apply to, because of the size, is Planned Parenthood. So I guess, Mr. Chairman, I’d ask you, can you tell me what the multiple organizations that would be defunded are?” said Rep. Diana DeGette, co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, formerly known as the Pro-Choice Caucus.
Rep. Morgan Griffith, who was presiding over the hearing at the time, responded, “I don’t have the list, but the [Congressional Budget Office] did indicate to our committee that there are others that would qualify under this definition.” (The CBO declined to comment.)
Under the Hyde Amendment, it is already illegal for federal money to go directly to abortions. One House Republican, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly, told NOTUS last week that because of the Hyde Amendment, some Republicans were hesitant to go “beyond that.”
When asked if any members have ever brought that point to Johnson, the Republican suggested that the speaker is aware.
“He certainly understands that,” the lawmaker said.
But defunding the organization has been a decade-long goal for the party. When Republicans last attempted to defund Planned Parenthood via reconciliation, the Senate parliamentarian determined that the specific wording singling out the organization violated the Byrd rule, which dictates how reconciliation bills can affect the budget.
Republicans, who were careful to not name Planned Parenthood in their arguments, said that defunding the organization and other providers “simply establishes a safeguard so the nation’s largest abortion providers are not the one providing health care services to women through Medicaid,” said Rep. Diana Harshbarger.
Harshbarger added, “Should these entities stop participating in abortion services, they would again be eligible to receive funding.”
But for Democrats, not allowing Planned Parenthood to receive Medicaid will severely impact women’s access to health care.
“It kills women to defund care — reproductive care. It kills women to restrict it, to ban it, to defund it, and this legislation will kill women,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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Oriana González is a reporter at NOTUS.