House plans special committee to probe Planned Parenthood
The House is considering a vote this week to create a special panel to investigate Planned Parenthood — the most direct move by congressional Republicans to probe allegations of improper fetal tissue sales by the group.
The subcommittee would fall under the jurisdiction of the influential Energy and Commerce Committee. It was announced over the weekend by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who would serve as the panel’s chairwoman.
“What people want us to do is to get to the bottom of what has transpired with Planned Parenthood and the utilization of taxpayer funds. There is frustration from our constituents,” Blackburn told POLITICO on Sunday. “The more we know, the more questions we have.”
A vote is expected this week, according to a Republican leadership aide.
The committee would investigate claims made in the videos to determine any wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood or its senior officials. A review of the videos and interviews with witnesses over the summer have yet to turn up a criminal case but the new committee would have subpoena power for documents and testimony. Republican staffers for the Energy and Commerce Committee say those interviews have prompted new questions, however, that the new select committee will investigate.
The vote for the new select subcommittee would give both parties a high-profile platform to debate Planned Parenthood. House rules limit the number of subcommittees that can exist under any one committee, so there needs to be a formal vote by the House to establish the Planned Parenthood panel. The subcommittee would have its own budget.
Democrats on Energy and Commerce, who first learned of House Republican leadership’s plan on Friday, haven’t decided yet who would serve as the top Democrat on the Planned Parenthood panel.
Planned Parenthood has become a top target for Republicans after a series of videos were released seemingly showing officials with the group discussing the sales of fetal issue. The group’s defenders deny wrongdoing and say the videos were heavily edited.
Planned Parenthood’s federal funding is being tied to a larger government funding bill. But by voting this week to create the new subcommittee, Republican leaders are giving members of their right flank the chance to vote against Planned Parenthood before the House likely passes a stopgap funding bill that at least temporarily leaves the group’s funding intact.
Several dozen hard-line Republicans are refusing to vote for any funding bill that doesn’t defund the women’s health care group, complicating attempts to avoid a government shutdown on Wednesday. But even Republicans who oppose linking funding for Planned Parenthood to a broader spending bill want the organization to be investigated for criminal wrongdoing.
Democrats have dismissed the GOP effort as a political witch hunt. Democrats have compared the planned select committee on Planned Parenthood to the Benghazi Committee created by House Republicans in 2014 to probe the terrorist attacks in Libya that left four Americans dead.
“House Republicans have unveiled plans to create a Benghazi-style committee to attack Planned Parenthood, proving that GOP efforts to restrict access to health care are snowballing out of control,” Democratic Reps. Louise Slaughter of New York and Diana DeGette of Colorado said in a statement.
The House will also begin crafting a reconciliation package to defund Planned Parenthood. A reconciliation bill would need only 51 votes to pass the Senate and cannot be filibustered.