Transcript of Press Conference Addressing Latest GOP Attack on Women's Health

Press Conference

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen, Select Committee Ranking Member Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and the Democratic Members of Republicans' Select Committee to Attack Women's Health held a press conference today. Below are the Leader's remarks:

Leader Pelosi. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Watson Coleman, thank you to our Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky, Ranking Member of the Budget Committee Chris Van Hollen, senior Members like Jerry Nadler -- all of the Members of the Committee: Congressman Nadler, Congresswoman DeGette, Congresswoman Speier, Congresswoman DelBene, Congresswoman Watson Coleman of the Select Committee and the leadership that they provide. The breadth of their knowledge, the depth of their commitments, their determination to stop any of these actions on the part of the Republican majority in the Congress to disrespect women. It is about respect for women, our judgement and the rest.

A great Speaker, Tip O'Neill, said "All politics is local.' I'll take it one step forward: it's personal. In this case, it's very personal about decisions women have to make about the size and timing of their families, about access they have to reproductive health. As a Member who has been here a long time and served on the Appropriations Committee, I can tell you that the Republicans have been out to get Planned Parenthood for decades. It always was surprising to me and people found it hard to believe when I would say: this isn't about just a termination of a pregnancy, this is about family planning. I've had Republican Members say to me on committee: "we're against all family planning, domestic and international,' when we were trying to remove the gag rule on international family planning.

So, understand what this is about. It's, again, a lack of respect; it's about a lack of safety as Mr. Nadler suggested as well. So, our message to Republicans is: you couldn't get it in the budget agreement under Speaker Boehner, you couldn't get it in the Omnibus bill under Speaker Ryan, a new year where the American people are hopeful that we will come together and have jobs and economic growth and improve the prosperity of our country and the involvement of many more people in that success and instead, it's the same old, same old [on the] first serious legislative day back.

So, again, I think we're in good hands with our Committee. I commend them for their knowledge, commitment and determination to protect America's women and America's families. As was mentioned by Ranking Member Schakowsky, this has not only contributed to the good health of women, but it has prevented many, many unwanted pregnancies and many, many unwanted terminations of abortion. If you don't want that to happen, you should love family planning. And if you respect family planning, you should respect, and not try to obstruct Planned Parenthood.

With that, we'd be pleased -- my colleagues would be pleased to take any questions you may have.

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Q: Just wondering if any of you have watched the videos and what deceptions in particular can you point to?

Rep. Schakowsky. Let me just mention one. In the Energy and Commerce Committee, when we were shown a video that seemed to be proof that there was the selling of fetal tissue or whatever the allegation was, and it was supposed to be a legit video, there was ominous music in the background. Now, I have never heard of people walking around followed by music when they are in a restaurant, etc.

And it has been affirmed by outside sources that these videos have been doctored and heavily edited. And the investigations -- let me say again -- of the three Committees that were looking at that -- Oversight, Judiciary and Energy and Commerce have found nothing wrong and as one of my colleagues said, the Chairman of the Oversight Committee, Chairman Chaffetz said he saw nothing illegal.

Yes?

Q: The Select Committee to investigate Planned Parenthood -- what are they currently doing?

Rep. Schakowsky. Well, you'll have to ask the Chairwoman of the Committee, Marsha Blackburn, because so far, the answer is nothing. There has not been an organizational meeting, none is scheduled right now. So, despite our inquiries, we have not heard anything yet. So, nothing. All they've done is -- we know that they've hired staff. We actually hired an executive director who wanted to sit down with their executive director, who so far has not wanted to have that meeting.

Before we left, I met with Chairwoman Blackburn on the Committee and really got no insight as to what the process would be, what the subject matter would be. It does seem as if she's not particularly interested in open hearings but rather in working groups -- unclear exactly what that means.

Q: Republicans have already said that they would like to address this again in the appropriations process, and they are also saying that they would like to start addressing the issue of President Obama's executive action on guns in the appropriations process.

It sounds like they're starting the year off with more than just this vote, but it seems a bit emblematic of an approach that they'd like to have this year. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Leader Pelosi. Well, as an appropriator -- do we have any other appropriators here? No? In our Leadership, we have a number of appropriators, so we're used to their using the appropriations process for their poison pills. No, they started off with this -- the president started off with gun safety, and they're responding to that.

But, the President of the United States, in a really historic presentation yesterday, took us to a new place. It was transformative, what he had to say. And all he said was, "Let's tighten the rules that exist now and enforce them with more clarity.'

And following the Heller decision -- the Supreme Court decision, which said that this was a part of the decision that they put down -- that the agencies could have regulations and rules that are more specific. So, they should be praising what the President did instead of trying to find a way to poison the appropriations process. I would hope that they would dismiss that idea because the fact is that we want to move forward with an appropriations process. We have a two-year [budget deal]. We want to have an appropriations process that meets the needs of the American people as we go forward.

They really are hung up. As I said, every woman in America should just think of herself, her own decisions, and how they want to put themselves between that woman, her family, her doctor, her faith, her God in decisions about family planning. This is a very personal assault. I have five children, nine grandchildren myself -- I hasten to add. They always ask me how soon it's going to be before I start talking about my grandchildren.

Raising a child is the most important responsibility any of us will ever have -- that a child would be welcomed into a family is a decision for a family to make, not for politicians in Washington, D.C. And again, as I say: for decades, they've been out to get Planned Parenthood because they have been effective in providing family planning, which Republicans have told us they oppose.

Rep. Schakowsky. I just want to say this -- in many ways, the Republicans have been very honest in saying that this bill will show the American people the difference between their views and our views, but it's not going anywhere. We will have the votes to override this. So, they want to send a message. And, as the Leader said, the American women should listen carefully to what that message is, and I believe even as they want to end the Affordable Care Act and take health care away from 18 to 21 million Americans and they want to take reproductive health away from millions of American women, I think that this message is clearly misguided, it will not prevail, and it will be listened to by the majority of Americans.

And if there were a referendum today -- just on the question "should there be sensible gun safety legislation, primarily background checks?,' it would pass overwhelmingly. A referendum on "should money be taken away from only Planned Parenthood?,' I think there would be a resounding "no' from the American people.

So, we welcome, in some ways, this difference, but we have to stop this attack. And now is the time.

Leader Pelosi. Just one more thing -- from what we've been hearing from the Republicans about their agenda, it's described as ABC: Affordable Care Act repeal; Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi -- which has been going on longer than the 9/11 Commission -- imagine that; and contraception, which they obviously oppose.

So that's what we have to deal with. Instead of, give us a vote; give us a vote on gun safety. Give us a vote on really working together for a great job-creation bill that creates growth, promotes our economy, keeps America number one, instead of wasting the public's time, the Congress's time -- as you say a bill that is -- and money -- a bill that is going nowhere. Speaking of money, I just want to make this final point, which is interesting because they asked for a CBO report on all of this, and what they found out is if you defund Planned Parenthood, it will add cost. It will increase the deficit. It wasn't the answer they were hoping for, but nonetheless, it is a fact.

Thank you all very much.

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