House GOP Moderates Seek to Preserve Planned Parenthood Funding

A group of moderate House Republicans, including Reps. Mike Lawler, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Jen Kiggans, are resisting efforts within their party to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood as part of President Donald Trump's proposed budget reconciliation package, known as the 'big, beautiful bill.' These lawmakers argue that Planned Parenthood offers essential health care services beyond abortion and caution against eliminating funding outright. Speaker Mike Johnson and pro-life conservatives have pledged to redirect funds away from 'Big Abortion,' but moderates warn that targeting Planned Parenthood could complicate negotiations and distract from other policy priorities. The intraparty divide comes as House leadership seeks to identify significant spending cuts, with Planned Parenthood's federal funding and Medicaid reimbursements under scrutiny. Polling suggests that while a majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortion, there is also broad support for maintaining funding for non-abortion services provided by organizations like Planned Parenthood. This internal GOP debate underscores the political complexity of addressing abortion and health care funding in major legislative packages.