Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I thank my good friend for her incredibly excellent work on this bill. A threat to shut down the government over funding…”

“I thank my good friend for her incredibly excellent work on this bill. A threat to shut down the government over funding Planned Parenthood's contraceptive and preventative care measures looms again in 3 months, although 73 percent of the public is against forcing a shutdown over Planned Parenthood. I am grateful for the high-quality coverage Planned Parenthood gives women's health across the board, including abortion services, not funded by the Federal Government. The District of Columbia is the only jurisdiction Congress denies the full reach of Roe v. Wade to low- income women, by denying the local government the right to spend its own local funds on abortion services for poor women. For the Nation, to cut government funds for Medicaid, family planning, and preventative care would cut off our collective noses to spite our faces. Every public dollar spent on family planning services alone saves $7 in undesired births and other preventative care. For all the heat generated by Republicans, Planned Parenthood is regarded more favorably now than it was before the current fight began. The reason is, for nearly a century, Planned Parenthood's incredibly effective work for women's health has won it a strong following across our country from both parties. Ms. DeLAURO. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).”