Planned Parenthood At Center Of US Budget Debate

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Congressional Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other for not reaching agreement in the contentious debate over a 2011 budget, hours before current funding for the U.S. government expires.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the battle has “nothing to do with the fiscal integrity” of the country, but rather is about an ideological battle related to the issue of abortion.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Reid, a Democrat, accused Republicans of wanting to shut down the federal government over opposition to funding for Planned Parenthood, a health services organization, because it also provides abortion services. By law, federal money cannot be used to fund abortions.

Planned Parenthood, a private organization, receives millions of dollars each year from the government for non-abortion services, such as health screenings.

The top Republican in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, said Friday most of the policy issues have been dealt with, and the “big fight” is about trimming the spending of the U.S. government.

VOA

The VOA is the Voice of America

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