Pro-life senators led by Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday forced a vote on S.J.Res.41, a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Biden Administration’s 2021 final rule on the Title X Family Planning Program. The motion failed by a tied vote of 49-49 with 48 Senate Republicans and one Senate Democrat voting yes and 47 Senate Democrats and two Senate Republicans (Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski) voting no. Two Democrat senators were absent.
The final rule from the Biden Administration reversed the Trump Administration’s 2019 Protect Life Rule, which banned organizations — such as Planned Parenthood — that commit, promote, or refer for abortions from receiving Title X funding. Organizations that accept Title X Family Planning funding and participate in some way with abortion were expected to separate any abortion-related business from their other services both fiscally and physically in order to receive the funding.
Planned Parenthood refused to do so, and forfeited the $60 million annually they were receiving from the program. That money instead went to organizations that do not participate in abortion.
READ: Title X taxpayer dollars are again flowing to abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood
The 2021 Biden Rule allows Title X funding to support pro-abortion programs including the use of abortion as family planning.
“The Biden Title X rule defies the law, which states clearly that Title X funds shall not ‘be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning’, and siphons tens of millions of taxpayer dollars annually in Title X funding towards Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry,” said Andrew Guernsey, executive director of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, in an email.
He continued, “Enactment of this resolution would have overturned the 2021 Biden rule, reinstated the Trump Administration’s 2019 Protect Life Rule, and prevented any future administration from reissuing the 2021 Biden rule.”
Sen. Rubio released a statement following the rejection of the resolution, saying, “President Biden’s rule is an assault on the most sacred and fundamental human right, the right to life. It is disgraceful that Democrats voted to use tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to promote abortion instead of reinstating commonsense safeguards that protect life and ensure families have the resources they need to thrive. I will never stop advocating for the unborn.”
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