Federal Government Still Operating, Planned Parenthood Still Kicking

By Kenrya Rankin Oct 01, 2015

Last night, President Obama signed a bill that prevents the government from shutting down—at least until December 11. The Senate and House passed the bill earlier in the day in an attempt to beat the midnight deadline for keeping the federal government operating. The new law does not defund Planned Parenthood, which is in opposition to House Republicans who insisted that they would not sign any bill that continued to fund the embattled reproductive health care provider.

The White House also issued a statement about the stop-gap law:

With today’s bipartisan vote, Congress has taken a step away from the brink—and the President will sign the bill into law once he receives it. But, the American people deserve far better than last-minute, short-term legislating. That’s why Congress should pass a budget that reverses harmful spending cuts known as sequestration to allow for critical investments in our military readiness, infrastructure, schools, public health, and R&D that keep our companies on the cutting edge. Congress can and should get this work done without delay. There is no reason that we should deny American families and businesses the certainty and support they need by kicking the can down the road again. At a time when our businesses have created more than 13 million new jobs over the past five and a half years, Washington can choose to support our American comeback or to stall its momentum. To the President, the choice is clear.

Congress will have to pass a full budget before this law expires in mid-December to avoid government shutdown. Based on deceptively edited "sting" videos produced by the anti-abortion Center for Medical Progress, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is still investigating Planned Parenthood for the improper sale of fetal tissue for research.