House Republicans Continue to Hammer Planned Parenthood

This summer, the Center For Medical Progress released video footage of Planned Parenthood executives seemingly discussing the sale of baby body parts. Since the release of the first video, there has been a steady stream of new, equally unsettling, footage. Republicans in Congress have taken the allegations against Planned Parenthood seriously and are endeavoring to find out which laws may have been broken and how culpable various Planned Parenthood executives may be.

Just this week, Cecile Richards, who is the president of Planned Parenthood, was called to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The committee, one of four congressional panels looking into the matter, questioned Richards on a variety of topics. 

Chairman Chaffetz began by simply questioning Planned Parenthood's need for federal funding. "I could be here a long time listing out fairly exorbitant salaries" he said before drawing attention to the fact that heading the non-profit group earns Richards $520,000 a year. Democrats, who love to criticize large CEO salaries, seem to have no problem with Richards' compensation even as they claim federal funding is critical to Planned Parenthood's continued existence.

Referencing repeated claims that the videos released by the Center For Medical Progress amount to nothing more than entrapment, Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio asked Ms. Richards "[i]f this was all entrapment, why'd you apologize?" After continual push-back from Ms. Richards including such evasive answers as "agreeing to disagree" Congressman Jordan was forced to let up only because his time ran out. 

Congressman Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee followed up with a poignant statement saying: "It seems to me that the apology you offered was like what some criminals do. They're not really sorry for what they have done. They are sorry they got caught and it seems to me that your apology is more because you got caught on these videos."

Intensive Congressional inquiries are not likely to taper off any time soon. There are several, as of yet unanswered, questions about the legality of Planned Parenthood's actions. Has Planned Parenthood obtained any illegal profits from the sale of aborted baby body parts? Are Planned Parenthood doctors altering accepted abortion procedures in order to ease tissue collection from the aborted children? Lastly, are any illegal partial-birth abortions taking place in Planned Parenthood facilities? These are important questions that deserve answers, and Congressional Republicans are working tirelessly to obtain them.

“Mr. Koskinen should no longer be the IRS commissioner”

Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs, sent a letter to Obama requesting the firing of IRS chief John Koskinen. Chaffetz stated that Koskinen repeatedly “obstructed” congressional efforts to investigate the IRS’s political targeting taxpayers. Chaffetz quoted his letter in a Capitol Hill press conference,

At best, Commissioner Koskinen was derelict in his duties to preserve agency records. At worst, he and the IRS engaged in an orchestrated plan to hide information from Congress.

Back in 2013, Obama promised to “work hand-in-hand with Congress to fix the problem” when the public learned about the IRS targeting. In the 2013 House investigation, Lois Lerner, ex-IRS official, revealed that the IRS targeted Tea Party groups and other conservatives from April 2010 to April 2012 for higher scrutiny and auditing. However, in March 2014 Lerner asserted her Fifth Amendment rights, repeatedly refused to testify at trials, and was subsequently held in contempt.

When Lerner resigned as director of the Exempt Organizations unit In September 2013, Koshen was installed and confirmed. Unfortunately, Koshkinen has failed to restore any faith in the agency.

Chaffetz also emphasized that Koskinen failed to testify truthfully, comply with subpoenas and preserve up to 24,000 emails related to the investigation. If Obama does not remove Koskinen, Chaffetz vows to

pursue all constitutional remedies at our disposal, including potential contempt proceedings or perhaps impeachment.

Ultimately, Chaffetz calls the concealed facts surrounding the IRS targeting “an unacceptable outcome and one that demands those responsible be held accountable.” See the House Oversight Committee’s video “There Must Be Accountability” here.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) to Speak at the RNLA Washington, D.C. Chapter Luncheon

The RNLA is pleased announce that Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) will address our June D.C. Luncheon June 11 at the Capitol Hill Club.

Rep. Chaffetz believes strongly in a constitutionally limited federal government. During his tenure in the House, Rep. Chaffetz has served on the most important committee for rural western communities, the House Natural Resources Committee, and continues to be a prominent member of the Congressional Western Caucus. He supports federal land management policies based on multiple-use and sustained yield and believes that state management and local control are the best long-term solutions for the land and rural communities. Rep. Chaffetz has been a tireless advocate of fiscal discipline, voting consistently to cut spending, eliminate earmarks, reduce duplication and retire outdated federal programs.

On some key issues:

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Lois Leaner Requests:

Rep. Chaffetz, and Health Care, Benefits and Administrative Rules Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan, sent a letter to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen requesting further information on the “special project team” established outside of the normal agency process to respond to congressional subpoenas and requests for information, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and other investigative requests relating to Lois Lerner. The existence of the “special project team” was revealed earlier this week in testimony to the Committee from Mary Howard Director of the Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure at the IRS.

Ms. Howard’s testimony could explain the interminable delays related to the IRS’s responses to the Lerner requests.  In fact, the Committee has been waiting to receive all of Ms. Lerner’s emails for more than two years.  It has been almost a year since the IRS last produced documents to the Committee, and it is just now coming to light that the IRS Privacy, Governmental Liaison and Disclosure team was stripped of its ordinary responsibility to respond to the Lerner requests.  That information might never have come to light at all without Ms. Howard’s testimony, which had to be compelled through the issuance of a subpoena.

Permanent Inspector General at DOI:

The Department’s last permanent inspector general left on February 23, 2009—more than six years ago.  Since then, the office has been managed by an acting inspector general whose tenure has been the subject of recent, significant congressional oversight and controversy… Because acting inspectors general are inherently less independent than their permanent counterparts, however, stakeholders do not have full confidence that their work is credible.  Additionally, some acting inspectors general are candidates for the permanent job, which creates an incentive to conduct less aggressive oversight of the administration.  In any event, taxpayers suffer the consequences.

National Security

:

I am committed to fighting waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.  Exposing waste, fraud, and abuse allows our fighting forces and diplomatic personnel to perform their missions with efficiency, effectiveness, and safety, while also ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. 

With questions or to RSVP for a pay at the door tickets (note prices increase at the door), email dc515@republicanlaywer.net.