Birth Control Likely Out of Stimulus Bill

It looks like Nancy Pelosi blew this one for the Democrats.

From FOX News:

Democratic leaders in the House are nearly certain to drop federal funding for new contraceptive services and on-going programs to stop sexually transmitted diseases from the $825 billion economic stimulus bill due to hit the floor Tuesday, a senior official told FOX News.

The decision is due Tuesday morning in advance of two high-profile meetings President Obama will hold with House and Senate Republicans to build bipartisan support for his massive economic stimulus bill. The bill contains $87 billion in emergency Medicaid funding to help states crushed by deficits.

...As orignially written, the House Democratic bill included more than $300 million in funds to slow the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. It also included a provision -- the one that's drawn the most GOP fire -- that provides a 9-to-1 match of federal funds to state funds to provide contraceptives to poor women who qualified under Medicaid. The bill would also provide the same contraceptives to women whose income was 200 percent of the federal poverty level, a significant increase in funding.

...House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the policy initiative Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those -- one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Despite Pelosi's argument, Democrats and the Obama White House appear eager to deprive Republicans of what's become a key attack line against the stimulus bill.

After Friday's White House meeting with the president, House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio asked, "How can you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives? How does that stimulate the economy?"

This shows that Republicans aren't entirely powerless, that they do have a role in shaping policy and influencing legislation.

Republicans are in the minority but that's no reason for them to roll over.