As part of a bill to supplement the Iraq war effort, a group of liberal congressmen seized on the emergency legislation as an opportunity to fund "emergency" contraception. Led by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who has avowed pro-life views, the measure would have lowered the cost of birth control pills to groups like Planned Parenthood.
Ryan, one of a handful of Democrats who campaigned on the life issue, vowed to find some vehicle to pass the measure. Fortunately, the GOP leadership, working with outside groups like Family Research Council, argued that the proposal was entirely irrelevant in "must-pass" legislation and had it removed from the bill.
Unfortunately, a host of unrelated earmarks managed to squeak past the bill's mark-up, including $74 million for "peanut storage costs," $25 million for "spinach growers," and 18 others, which are posted on www.frc.org.
A broader resolution in the Senate, which affirmed that Congress should not cut off or reduce funds to American troops, passed 82-16. That 16 U.S. Senators would vote to endanger our troops as they protect these leaders' very lives is abhorrent. To see the list of those who voted unconscionably to defund our soldiers in wartime, click here.
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