The White House —Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release—-April 13, 2017

President Donald J. Trump Signs H.J.Res. 43 into Law

On Thursday, April 13, 2017, the President signed into law:

H.J.Res. 43, which nullifies the Department of Health and Human Services rule prohibiting recipients of Title X grants for the provision of family planning services from excluding a subgrantee from participating for reasons other than its ability to provide Title X services.

 

In a private signing ceremony, President Trump signed a resolution overturning former President Obama’s rule that forced states to provide family planning grants under Title X to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Planned Parenthood performs 300,000 abortions each year. In attendance were Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Seema Verma, Susan B. Anthony president Marjorie Dannenfelser, and Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America.

“Prioritizing funding away from Planned Parenthood to comprehensive healthcare alternatives is a winning issue,” said Dannenfelser, reports the Washington Examiner. “We expect to see Congress continue its efforts to redirect additional taxpayer funding away from Planned Parenthood through pro-life healthcare reform after the spring break recess.”

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) sponsored the measure in the Senate. Vice President Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote end of March to enable approval in that chamber after Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against it. In a floor speech in the House, Black said the purpose of the resolution is to “affirm the right of states to fund the healthcare providers that best suit their needs, without fear of reprisal from their own federal government.”

The Heritage Foundation’s Melanie Israel wrote at The Daily Signal:  the resolution was necessary “to both protect life and reassert that the states have Tenth Amendment rights to allocate Title X family planning grants in such a manner that prioritizes community health clinics and true family planning over the industrial abortion industry as represented by Planned Parenthood.” “The HHS rule is a classic example of excessive federal rulemaking and executive overreach for partisan political gain, making it a perfect target for nullification under the CRA.”

A dozen states attempted to eliminate Planned Parenthood’s funding, especially during the release of videos that alleged the group harvests the body parts of babies aborted in its clinics and sells them for profit. SOURCE: BREITBART.COM