Providing for Consideration of H.R. Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Searching for and Cutting Regulations That Are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill.

I wish I could say I am surprised that House leaders are kicking off 2016 the same way they spent 2015--attacking women's health--but I am not. For anyone who has forgotten, let me refresh your memory.

Last year, the House voted 10 times to attack women's health. That included voting to restrict reproductive health care in private insurance, enact a sweeping 20-week abortion ban, and allow employers to discriminate against workers for using birth control.

Now we are voting to defund Planned Parenthood for the fifth time, even though three House committees tried and failed to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing. What is worse, today's vote takes place before the Republicans' taxpayer-funded select committee to investigate Planned Parenthood has even held its first meeting. It is shameful. Americans expect us to focus on facts, not ideology. So far, there are no facts to justify defunding a healthcare provider that 2.7 million Americans rely on.

Here is what we do know: Planned Parenthood provides nearly 900,000 cancer screenings each year; 78 percent of Planned Parenthood patients are low-income; and the services provided by Planned Parenthood help prevent more than 500,000 unintended pregnancies every year.

With each passing week, it becomes clear this Chamber isn't interested in the facts. It is only interested in pushing an extreme ideological agenda designed to take away women's constitutional right to choose.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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