A $1.3 Trillion Omnibus Spending Bill was passed late last night in the Senate after being passed in the House. It now goes to President Trump for his signature, which is expected. There is a lot to this massive spending bill, but of interest to Evangelicals will surely be the continued funding at almost $500 Million per year of Planned Parenthood, an organization that performs approximately 330,000 abortions per year.
A Republican majority House, Senate, and Presidency has no impact on the half a billion dollars a year that goes to Planned Parenthood. This is the second year in a row we have seen Republicans oversee a process that ends in fully funding Planned Parenthood.
Perhaps there will be statements released on Friday, but I have yet to see much response to this development from Evangelical leaders. Abortion and Planned Parenthood have also traditionally been areas of strong concern for Southern Baptists. Just last year at the convention in Phoenix, the SBC passed a resolution on defunding and investigating Planned Parenthood. Whether or not the continued funding of Planned Parenthood becomes a significant issue for Evangelicals at this point in time remains to be seen.
