Ted “Shutdown The Government Over Access to Birth Control” Cruz Tees Up Mike “Invented Trying To Shut Down The Government To Prevent Access to Birth Control” Pence

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2016

Share This

Mike Pence led the charge to defund Planned Parenthood –– even pushing to shutdown the entire federal government just to block patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood health centers. It’s only fitting that Ted Cruz –– who followed directly in his footsteps last year –– is teeing up Mike Pence and his anti-abortion, anti-woman agenda.

 

Fact: Ted Cruz Tried To Shut Down The Government Over Access to Birth Control Last Year

Huffington Post: Ted Cruz Plots Government Shutdown Fight Over Planned Parenthood

Cruz implored more than a thousand pastors and religious leaders on Tuesday to “preach from the pulpit” against Planned Parenthood and rally public support for an amendment defunding the family provider in the must-pass federal budget bill in November. If Congress attaches the defunding amendment to the budget instead of holding a vote on the standalone bill, it cannot keep funding Planned Parenthood without shutting down the whole federal government.

 

Fact: Mike Pence was trying to shut down Planned Parenthood before Ted Cruz was even elected to the Senate

• The New York Times: “[Mike Pence] sponsored one of the first bills to deny federal funds to Planned Parenthood in 2007 and pressed for similar efforts year after year, summoning words of outrage but having little effect.”

• Politico called Pence’s determination to deny patients care at Planned Parenthood health centers a “one-man crusade” and said that “nobody hates Planned Parenthood quite as much as Mike Pence.”

• Pence was willing to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood funding: In 2011, Pence said on Morning Joe that “of course” he was willing to “hold up this entire budget over defunding Planned Parenthood.”

• In Congress, Pence introduced six separate measures aimed at blocking patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood health centers: He introduced three bills as well as three amendments in an effort to prevent millions of patients from accessing life saving care at Planned Parenthood health centers. [H.R. 217,1/07/11; H.Amdt.95 to HR 1,2/17/11; H.R. 614,1/21/09; H.Amdt.389 to HR 3293,7/24/09; HR 4133,11/09/07; H.Amdt.594 to HR 3043,7/19/07]