Republican Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is calling on Gov. Rick Perry to compromise with the Obama administration on a pro-life measure he recently signed in order to restore federal funding for low-income women’s health programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Social Services decided to withhold the Medicaid funds after Perry signed a law that bars any of the money from going to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.
Hutchison called on Perry to compromise with Obama officials to so Texas can get “our fair share” of federal funds for the Medicaid Women’s Health Program, the San Antonio Express-News reported on Friday. The program receives about 90 percent of its funding from the federal government and 10 percent from the state.
“We cannot afford to lose the Medicaid funding for low-income women to have health care services,” Hutchison said. “We can't keep turning back federal funds that every state gets and then try to find money in our budget, which is already being cut in key areas like education.”
Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said it is “unfortunate that Texas' senior senator would side with the Obama administration and its pro-abortion political allies over the will and laws of the Texans she represents,” Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said.
She said if Hutchison was aware of “the fact the administration is the one responsible for denying these funds,” she would support the effort “to reverse this misguided decision.”
Frazier also noted that Perry is locating state funds to replace the federal money to continue the program, which covers birth control and basic health screenings for about 130,000 Texas women. It receives about 90 percent of its funding from the federal government and 10 percent from the state.
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