Republican Senator Blocks Murray, Smith Effort to Pass Commonsense Family Planning Bill

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), sought unanimous consent to pass her bill with Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to protect and expand access to family planning services—but Republican Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) blocked the legislation.

The Expanding Access to Family Planning Act would protect access to critical reproductive health care services—like birth control, cancer screenings, and more—by providing a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program. After Roe was overturned, Republicans have claimed that they support family planning and will pursue policies to support women and families—with Senator Marshall last week stating at a HELP hearing that “family planning opportunities need to be expanded.”