Mullin Votes to Protect Life, Repeal Obamacare Provisions

Statement

Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) voted on Friday to prohibit federal funds from going to organizations that perform abortions and repeal some of the most harmful provisions of the president's health care law, commonly known as Obamacare. The bill, the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (H.R. 3762) passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 240-189.

H.R. 3762 blocks a large portion of the federal funding received by Planned Parenthood and redirects it to community health centers that provide health care services for women. Planned Parenthood receives federal funding for non-abortion services through Medicaid programs and Title X grants. Approximately 90 percent of the organization's funding comes from Medicaid programs, which falls under the federal government's mandatory spending stream.

"I have pledged to do everything in my power to block federal funds from going to organizations that perform abortions. Last month, I voted to fund our federal government through a continuing resolution, because federal funding for Planned Parenthood was not a line item that could simply be crossed out of the budget. I said that we needed work harder and find smarter ways to stop federal funds from going to groups that perform these heinous acts," said Mullin. "This bill is the result of that hard work. It gives us the ability to block Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood, and I was proud to support it on the House floor today."

In May 2015, Congress passed a balanced budget agreement that instructed three House committees to develop recommendations to reduce the federal deficit and repeal specific provisions of Obamacare. H.R. 3762 cuts the deficit by $129.8 billion over 10 years and repeals Obamacare's individual and employer mandates, as well as taxes on medical devices.

"Obamacare is the biggest invasion into the lives of Americans in recent history. With this president in office, need to take every opportunity we have to pave the way for a full repeal of this law." Mullin added. "This is the shot we were waiting for."

H.R. 3762 contains budget recommendations from the House Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Ways and Means Committees. All three recommendations were combined by the House Budget Committee into one reconciliation bill. Under the reconciliation process, the bill will only require 51 votes for passage in the Senate.

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