House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after House Republicans voted to establish a politically-motivated panel to attack women's health:
"I am very disappointed that the Republican House Majority is wasting time and taxpayer dollars by creating a select panel to attack women's health. Planned Parenthood provides millions of American women and men with affordable or free health care services, such as cancer screenings and HIV/AIDS prevention. Three committees are already conducting inquiries into Planned Parenthood and have found no evidence of any illegal activity or the misuse of federal funding. Furthermore, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz was asked whether Planned Parenthood may have broken the law, and his answer was, "No, I'm not suggesting that they broke the law.' There is no reason for Congress to establish yet another entity, created with partisan motives, to seek that which does not exist. Already, House Republicans have wasted time on one of the longest and least active Congressional investigations in history with the Select Committee on Benghazi -- which should be disbanded.
"The American people want their Representatives to focus on the issues that matter: creating jobs, avoiding a dangerous government shutdown, ensuring our nation can pay its bills on time, and maintaining our nation's economic competitiveness. That is where Congress's attention ought to be, not on furthering an agenda of partisan attacks that target an organization dedicated to providing Americans with quality, affordable health care."