Both the House (H.R. 1) and Senate (S. 1) versions of the economic stimulus bill include funding for prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, with $355 million and $400 million provided respectively, the Washington Times reports. According to the Times, House Republicans on Wednesday began criticizing the inclusion of STI prevention funding in the $819 billion bill that is aimed at creating jobs and regenerating the economy. The National Republican Congressional Committee sent out e-mails Wednesday to freshman House Democrats urging them to voice their opinion on if the funding was a good way to spend economic-recovery money. The House bill passed Wednesday evening by a 244-188 vote, according to the Times.
The Times reports that both chambers of Congress are "engaging in a bidding war" over who can spend more on STI prevention in the stimulus bill, and the Senate is "not to be outdone" by the House. Wesley Denton, an aide to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), said, "Senate big spenders will never be underbid in wasting tax dollars," and added that he "[did not] want to know" how STI research would create jobs. The $400 million allotted in the Senate version would go to CDC "for the screening and prevention of [STIs], including HIV," according to the Times. Floor debate of the Senate bill is expected to begin next week.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health, said the provision is one of the significant achievements of the bill, which also includes $870 million to prepare for a pandemic influenza outbreak and $75 million for smoking cessation. According to the Times, lawmakers from both parties have criticized these inclusions in the stimulus bill, arguing that too many of the items will not provide enough short-term relief to boost the economy. Republicans in particular have said congressional Democrats are using the bill as a medium to get approval for projects that were stalled during the Bush administration and the period when Republicans held majority in Congress (Dinan, Washington Times, 1/29).
Advocates Criticize Removal of Family Planning Funds From Stimulus
Leaders of reproductive rights groups are "upset" by President Obama's push to have lawmakers remove a provision to allow states to expand eligibility for Medicaid family planning services from the House stimulus bill, with several organizations issuing statements to criticize the move, Politico reports. The provision, which was dropped from the bill, would have allowed states to bypass the federal waiver requirement normally needed to extend Medicaid family planning benefits to women who otherwise do not qualify for Medicaid. Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, sent an e-mail to supporters on Wednesday calling Obama's action a "betrayal of millions of low-income women" that will "place an even greater burden on state budgets that are already strained to the breaking point." Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, said Obama "should have kept it in there, but in their political calculus they felt this was something that would pass Congress rather easily as a stand-alone measure and didn't think it was worth fighting for in the stimulus." Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs said the president "believed that the policy of increased funding for family planning was the right one" but did not "believe that this bill was the vehicle to make that happen." Politico reports that the "political reality" is that Republicans opposed to the stimulus bill were using the family planning provision as a "too-perfect talking point ... to rally conservative opposition" to Obama's plan.
The reproductive rights leaders "stopped well short of blasting" Obama's administration over the funding removal, Politico reports. According to Politico, the groups "appear[ed] not to want to split" with Obama so early into his presidency, and leaders are "confident" that Obama will support the issues they care most about in the "long run." Gandy said, "We were definitely told that the Obama administration has a strong commitment to women's reproductive rights and family planning. This should not be seen as a lessening of that commitment, only as a change of the vehicle" (Gerstein/Lerer, Politico, 1/29).
Q&A on Family Planning Provision
Time on Thursday published a list of questions and answers about the family planning provision. The Q&A addresses what the provision would have done, whether it would have affected emergency contraception or abortion and how the provision would have saved money in the long run, among other topics (Sullivan, Time, 1/29).
Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.
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