The U.S. Senate voted 52-47 on Thursday to repeal key provisions of Obamacare including the removal of federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Only 99 of a possible 100 votes were cast -- missing one Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), who earlier this week was hailed as a champion supporter of Planned Parenthood by way of an impassioned speech on the Senate floor.
In the wake of Friday’s deadly shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic, Sanders spoke out against “a witch hunt for an organization that provides critical health care services, from reproductive health care to cancer screenings and preventative services to millions of Americans.”
Earlier in his speech, Sanders expressed his disdain for the political machinery driving the proposed legislation to dismantle the Affordable Care Act:
“The bill we are debating today is a complete waste of time. This is just another reason why the American people have so little respect for the Congress. There are major crises facing our country, and the Republican leadership once again is attempting to repeal Obamacare…. Obama is not going to sign a bill repealing Obamacare. I think that is not likely to happen.”
Indeed, the bill will have to be approved by the House of Representatives before it reaches the Oval Office. If it gets that far, the White House has said that President Obama will veto the legislation. Did Sanders not bother to vote because it was a “waste of time”? Maybe, but “By the time of the final vote, [Sanders] had a plane to catch for New Hampshire,” said Sanders spokesperson Michael Briggs, who reiterated Sanders’ support of Planned Parenthood and noted that “the outcome of the vote was not changed” for Sanders’ non-participation.
Briggs also noted that Sanders voted in favor of both the amendment proposed by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to eliminate provisions of the bill aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood, and the amendment offered by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) to restore Planned Parenthood funding through taxation.
“As you know, President Obama will veto the bill,” Briggs said. “Bernie will strongly support the veto and oppose any attempt to override the veto.”
