After the vote on defunding Planned Parenthood failed in the Senate, several lawmakers are looking at using a possible government shutdown to pull funding from the group.
Government funding is set to expire on Oct. 1 and Republican members of Congress have already said that they will not support any funding bill that gives more taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood,
NPR is reporting.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is also running for president, told NPR that "we should use any and every procedural means we have available to end funding for Planned Parenthood," including a government shutdown.
Even Arizona Sen. John McCain, who criticized his fellow Republicans in the past when they supported the government shutdown in 2013 in an effort to defund Obamacare, said that this issue is different.
"I don't like a government shutdown," McCain told NPR. "But this is a clear case of totally improper use of taxpayers' dollars. I have an obligation to the taxpayers of Arizona."
The Arizona Republican also warned Democrat lawmakers from trying to stand in the way of the effort.
"If they want to stand before the American people and say that they support this practice of dismembering unborn children, then that's their privilege," McCain added.
Such a shutdown would force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to have to break his promise to not allow any government shutdowns on his watch as the head of the Senate.
Other Republican White House hopefuls are also calling on Congress to support a government shutdown in order to defund Planned Parenthood
including billionaire Donald Trump and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul told Fox News on Tuesday that the next step in defunding Planned Parenthood was for
Congress to use "the power of the purse." However, he also said that he does not support a government shutdown.
According to The Hill, on July 29, 18 House Republicans sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, saying that they will not support any government funding measure that includes taxpayer dollars for Planned Parenthood.
The Center for Medical Progress
released a fifth video Tuesday showing Planned Parenthood officials talking about selling organs it takes from aborted fetuses.
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