House Speaker John Boehner discussed an ongoing effort being mounted by House Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network published online on Sunday.
Republicans in the House recently voted to strip federal funding from the organization. HuffPost's Elise Foley noted at the time that the proposal approved in the lower congressional chamber cut funds for contraceptives, HIV tests, cancer screenings and reproductive health services.
Speaking to CBN's David Brody, Boehner didn't mince words in talking about the political fight against Planned Parenthood, which doesn't currently use federal funds for abortion services.
"The goal here again is to cut spending and keep the government open," he explained. "I met with a lot of religious leaders earlier today to talk about the strategy and I think it's important that we understand that what we want to do here is win the war not just win a battle and there will be an opportunity sometime in order to win the big war and we're looking for that opportunity. I don't think this short term CR is the opportunity that will get us there."
As for how the offensive against Planned Parenthood factors into the prospect of a government shutdown, here's an excerpt of the exchange that went down:
David Brody: "So in essence you're saying if it comes to that you're not going to shut down the government over the defunding of Planned Parenthood."
Speaker John Boehner: "There are a lot of options on the table but I don't think in the short term CR (Continuing Resolution) this is the opportunity we're looking for."
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