MS Lawmakers Obtain ‘No’ Votes from House Delegation on CR that Funds Planned Parenthood

Conservative state lawmakers in Mississippi—who urged their congressional delegation in Washington D.C. to vote against a continuing resolution that would fund Planned Parenthood—found that their House members heeded them, but their U.S. Senators did not.

As Breitbart News previously reported, DeSoto County Representative-Elect Dana Criswell (R) led the initiative to send a letter to the Mississippi congressional delegation, pressing its members to vote against any spending bill that funds Planned Parenthood.

“No member of the Mississippi delegation to the U.S. Congress should support any funding resolution or mechanism – an appropriations bill, an omnibus package, a continuing resolution, or otherwise – that contains any funding for Planned Parenthood, including mandatory funding streams,” the letter read.

Recipients of the letter were Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Roger Wicker, Rep. Gregg Harper, Rep. Steven Palazzo, and Rep. Trent Kelly. House Representatives Harper, Palazzo, and Kelly all voted against the CR that funded Planned Parenthood, while Sens. Cochran and Wicker voted to fund the government and the nation’s largest abortion provider. In the House vote, 91 Republicans voted with Democrats to fund Planned Parenthood.

“We were told by our political leaders that we needed a Republican majority in the Senate so we could fight and win on these basic issues of freedom and morality,” Criswell tells Breitbart News. “I am disappointed that our senate representatives in Washington are not listening to the people of Mississippi.”

“If we continue to fund an organization like Planned Parenthood – that harvests and sells parts from unborn children – our nation will be viewed in history as barbaric and lost,” he added. “The people of Mississippi will take notice of our congressional delegation and their votes and hold them accountable. I am proud that our House representatives voted to uphold the values of the people of Mississippi by voting no on this resolution.”

Criswell’s words are echoing throughout the country as the conservative base of the Republican Party is holding its leaders accountable. As a result of a decision that rested on avoiding being blamed by Democrats and a liberal media for a government shutdown, Republican leaders refused to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood from a spending bill. In the end, House Speaker John Boehner has resigned under threat of being replaced, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may soon follow.

The letter from the Mississippi state lawmakers is reminiscent of the letter sent to House Republican leadership by Rep. Mick Mulvaney and 17 other House members, urging the defunding of Planned Parenthood through every available measure following the videos exposing the organization’s practices of harvesting the body parts of aborted babies for sale on the open market.

“The recent reports that Planned Parenthood has sold the tissue of unborn babies for profit is deeply disturbing,” Mulvaney’s letter stated. “This is simply unacceptable. I vehemently urge House Republican leadership to use every available tool to strip this organization of any and all taxpayer funds and take measures to prevent the group from receiving taxpayer dollars in the future.”

“Furthermore, we will not support any funding measure that provides taxpayer dollars for this organization,” the letter continued.

Mississippi state Rep. Chris Brown (R), who signed the letter to the state’s congressional delegation, tells Breitbart News, “We must fight to stop the killing and selling of unborn children. Planned Parenthood should be defunded, investigated, and held accountable for their disgusting acts of cruelty.”

“We want to encourage our members of Congress to stop the killing of these unborn babies,” he added. “I’m encouraged that our representative, Congressman Trent Kelly, seemed to understand what we had to say. But if they don’t do the right thing, we’ll keep the pressure on them.”

“Like many others, I have been appalled by the horrific scenes depicting Planned Parenthood’s blatant disregard for life,” state Representative-Elect Joel Bomgar also tells Breitbart News. “As Republicans, it’s important that we defend the right to life. Our tax dollars have no place funding an organization like Planned Parenthood. I am happy to join fellow Mississippians in calling for an end to taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood.”