Forget about that little mix up in Colorado where a deranged man opened fire on a Planned Parenthood after the GOP led a months-long campaign to demonize the organization. Senate Republicans are pushing forward with their crusade—no regrets, reports Tara Culp-Ressler:
Senate Republicans are prepared to forge ahead this week with a legislative tactic to fast track a bill to dismantle Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood. The process, called reconciliation, allows lawmakers to advance budget-related measures with just 51 votes, rather than the 60-vote threshold that’s normally required to prevent a filibuster.
According to Roll Call, Senate Republicans concluded a conference meeting on Monday evening feeling “enthused” about their plan to push the legislation toward President Obama’s desk as early as Thursday. Although the president is expected to veto the bill, it could set the stage for a bigger fight as Congress negotiates a funding bill to avert a government shutdown later this month. [...]
The measure to defund Planned Parenthood was quickly added to the Obamacare repeal bill following the summer release of videos falsely claiming that Planned Parenthood was “selling” fetal tissue.
Senate Democrats have vowed to block the bill. Nonetheless, if GOP lawmakers hang together, they'll easily make the 51-vote threshold, sending the bill the back to the House and, perhaps, eventually to President Obama's veto pen. What a great use of Congress' exceedingly limited time to wind up its agenda and keep the government funded by the end of the year.