Senate Republicans needed to summon the Vice President to cast the tie-breaking vote on legislation crafted to starve Planned Parenthood of money.
Mike Pence was the deciding factor Thursday, after two Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the bill—another Congressional Review Act repeal of a late Obama administration rule.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) did not vote with their Republican colleagues. The legislation passed 51-50.
“It is unprecedented that we are here with the Vice President breaking a tie vote on an attack on women’s health across this country,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said.
The rule had been finalized in December by the Department of Health and Human Services. Obama administration officials said it was necessary because thirteen states had tried, since 2011, to limit federal grants to family planning organizations.
Conservative state officials have been trying to deny money to any family planning organization that also provides abortions. They have focused their ire mostly on Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that federal law currently prohibits taxpayer funds from going toward financing abortions.
“This approach effectively excludes providers focused on reproductive health from receiving funds, even though they have been shown to provide higher quality services, such as preconception,” Obama administration officials said in December.
Title X under the Public Health Services Act of 1970 created a grant system for states to finance clinics offering family planning and preventative health services.
Thursday morning’s dramatic vote came just after Senate Republicans repealed another Obama era rule, using the Congressional Review Act.
The Senate voted 50-49 to wash out regulations that allowed states to establish retirement accounts for low-income workers. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was the lone Republican lawmaker to vote with Democrats.
Since inauguration, both houses of Congress have voted to annul thirteen Obama era regulations. President Trump has signed seven of those bills into law.
