Congressman Tom Cole said today that shutting the federal government down is always a mistake.
Cole made the remark in discussing a temporary funding bill.
He also said, “Despite claims to the contrary, there is no federal funding for Planned Parenthood included in this bill. Since the majority of Planned Parenthood’s federal funding comes from Medicaid reimbursements, or entitlement spending, it is not subject to the annual appropriations process. The remaining amount of federal money previously given to Planned Parenthood primarily comes from the Title X program in the form of family-planning grants. All grants for this year have been distributed and no others can be awarded until April of next year, which is long past the length of the funding measure passed today. While I share the same disgust of the evidence seen in the atrocious videos, I want to assure my constituents that no additional funds are being provided in this bill for Planned Parenthood.”
